Design of Variable Rate Fertilizer Spreader for UAV

Abstract

Precision Agriculture is a term which is widely used in the current 21st century, it means to implement the modern technologies, especially modern computing, artificial intelligence, satellite communication and drone technology to increase the agriculture productivity and decrease the cost. Variable Rate Fertilization (VRF) is a part of this whole ecosystem, and it is one of the multiple steps, like satellite mapping and drone technology. Variable Rate Fertilization means to spread fertilizer at a desired rate, according to the data given to it. VRF technology is implemented with the help of device called as the Variable Rate Fertilizer Spreader and in this paper, we have discussed the whole process from concept design to the methodology and results and discussions of the variable rate fertilizer spreader. This technology is a very important part of the whole ecosystem, and it lies at the end of the whole ecosystem, where all the data communicated is fed to the device and variable fertilization is achieved as an output. Crop growth is the main part of all the agriculture, and it’s been for the time when the human civilization learned to first plant the wheat. Crop growth is directly proportional to the yield of the crop, which is directly linked to the food supply of the humans. When there is multiple harvesting at the same area, the soil lacks the nutrients because of cyclic harvesting and planting. So, fertilizer comes into play where at the end of each harvesting and at the start of the planting and during the different growth stages of the plants, it is fed into a specified and calculated quantity to the crop. Due to the increase in the food supply of the humans, agriculture done on large areas and manual fertilizer spreading is inefficient and results in the loss of the money and inefficient plant growth. So along with all the sophisticated technologies, such as the satellite mapping, drone technology and artificial intelligence, we collect data and knows that how much amount of the fertilizer is need for the specific area of the crop. Our device, variable rate fertilizer spreader can spread the fertilizer at the desired amount and it is attached to the drone and can work 24/7, thus increasing the efficiency and resulting in low-cost operations and decreasing the use of the manpower and increasing the time management.