Journal of Agronomy and Field Innovations

A new technology in accurate farming is making use of drone-aircrafts and variable-rate tech, helping to provide better application of fertilizers and obtain greater nutrient-use efficiency (NUE) results in growing soya crops. The recent study showed the advantages of application of nitrogen treatment with the help of devices as opposed to standard methods of fertilization. The accuracy of drone-assisted treatment was tested for three years, covering 24 hectares of farmland located in the semi-arid zone of the region with loamy soil. The experimental design combined aspects of soil spectral analysis, satellite imaging, GIS mapping and unmanned air vehicles providing timely information about the processes of fertilization. The use of drone-assisted technology resulted in the decrease of the amount of nitrogen used by 18.4%, while the level of harvest obtained was equal to 4,680 kg/ha, so it was higher than in conventional methods of farming. The efficiency of nutrient use has increased by 24.3%, with the effectiveness of fertilizer recovery going up from 35.2% to 51.6%. The economic results indicate that the benefit-to-cost ratio is 2.84 for variable-rate application, as opposed to 2.15 for conventional treatment, which means an additional profit of ₹18,400 ha⁻¹. The environmental parameters show that potential N loss decreased by 22.1% and the groundwater quality was protected better than before. All of these findings serve as evidence for the viability of UAV technology using precise nutrient application in soybean growing. It is possible to see how new technologies contributing to the improvement of precision application make the future of sustainable production of legumes in semi-arid areas bright.