UAV Agricultural Management: Recent Advances and Future Prospects

Dear Colleagues,

Remote sensing involves collecting data about crops and soil conditions without physical contact. Recent advancements in UAV technology have made UAV remote sensing systems popular owing to their mobile, rapid, and economical characteristics. UAV remote sensing has gradually advanced from being employed solely in research to its utilization in practical applications, such as precision agriculture, vegetated area monitoring, crop area mapping, wildlife research, archaeological application, and environmental monitoring. This technology has the advantages of automation, intelligence, and specialization, enabling the rapid acquisition of remote sensing information about land, resources, environment, and events. Moreover, UAV remote sensing provides the real-time processing, modeling, and analysis of advanced emerging aerial remote sensing technology solutions. Due to its low cost and high level of detail, UAV remote sensing is revolutionizing many agricultural, environmental, archaeological, and surveillance applications by offering the repeated acquisition of high-resolution image data over large areas.

One of the critical advantages of UAV remote sensing in agriculture is its ability to provide accurate and detailed information without causing damage to crops. This is possible by combining UAV remote sensing with advanced spectral imaging techniques, which can monitor farm crop growth in real-time, generating farmland crop prescription maps based on high-resolution spectral images. This plays a vital role in monitoring crop growth, identifying issues, and creating targeted intervention plans. However, it is essential to note that low-altitude remote sensing operations are bound to affect ground crops due to the rotor wind field of UAVs.

This Special Issue aims to explore the recent advances and prospects of UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) agricultural management. It seeks to provide a platform for researchers, scientists, and practitioners to showcase their innovative research and discuss the potential of UAV technology in revolutionizing agricultural practices. The Special Issue will address a wide range of topics, including, but not limited to, remote sensing, image analysis, data processing, and the applications of UAVs in agriculture. By highlighting the latest advancements in using unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology in agricultural management and discussing future directions, this Special Issue aims to contribute to the growing body of knowledge in the field of UAV agricultural management. Research articles, review articles and short communications are welcome.

Dr. Hamdi Zurqani
Dr. Alessandro Matese
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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• enhanced crop monitoring using UAVs
• real-time monitoring of plant health
• optimal resource allocation for farming
• detecting and preventing crop diseases
• automated irrigation systems using UAVs
• improved pest management strategies
• high-resolution data for yield prediction
• timely identification of nutrient deficiencies
• enhanced crop scouting capabilities
• minimizing chemical input with UAVs
• optimizing harvest timing using drones
• sustainable agriculture through UAVs