Experimental efficiency studies use of unmanned aircraft in cultivation of agricultural cultures

Abstract

Modern agricultural production is aimed at obtaining the maximum yield when growing crop products. Genetics creates varieties and hybrids that maximize their biological potential in accordance with growing conditions. However, the urgent task is to provide technology, namely the needs of plants in the appropriate phases of growth and development in the shortest possible time. Current developments, including those for agricultural production, have flooded the market for digital technologies and mechanization tools. Effective agroengineering requires a modern base of complex applied research on the effectiveness of using the latest developments in modern production conditions. It should be noted that each development will show different efficiency, namely different quality indicators in different production conditions. The effectiveness of field research using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) XAG XPlanet for four fans was carried out in the Sumy region on the research fields of the Sumy National Agrarian University. The uniqueness of the research was that a method was developed with the involvement of specialists in agroengineering and agronomic fields and specialists in the field of physics to determine the degree of coverage of a sheet with a working solution precisely when it is "crushed" by the UAV blades; the technique of digitalization of markers was used by determining the color of the working solution, taking into account the change in its brightness depending on the time interval from application to research; clipping dark highlights when scanning markers. The studies were carried out at different flight heights: 3, 4 and 5 m above the plant level and taking into account different flight speeds: 6, 8 and 10 m s-1. The corresponding data were due to different plant heights, relief and configuration of the field, the location of the wires of electrical networks. The developed methodology and the conducted field studies made it possible to prepare real recommendations for modern agricultural producers in the direction of the efficiency of using UAV for introducing working solutions and choosing effective operating modes.