Nitrogen Deficiency Detection
NDRE <0.3 = need N, variable rate
Mission briefing
Nitrogen Deficiency Detection sits in the growth stage of the crop cycle. It runs on a mavic 3m carrying multispectral ndre, and in Bihar the window is tillering stage rice wheat at a frequency of 2x per season. Expect roughly 200ha/hr per sortie, and stand the drone down outside the same envelope — flying past it wastes chemical and risks drift onto neighbouring plots. Readings are interpreted through NDRE, so the payload has to output those bands rather than plain RGB. NDRE <0.3 = need N, variable rate On a easy-difficulty mission like this, the cost driver is not the drone — it is the number of return trips and the pilot hours around them, which is what the payback maths on the economics page turns on.
What you need
- Payload
- Multispectral NDRE
- Drone class
- Mavic 3M
- Vegetation indices
- NDRE
When to fly (Bihar)
- Timing
- Tillering stage Rice Wheat
- Frequency
- 2x per season
- Coverage
- 200ha/hr
- Weather envelope
- Same
Drones that run this mission
What this pass costs to buy in
Custom-hire rates operators actually charge for scouting work. Use these as the benchmark before you decide whether to own a drone or hire one for nitrogen deficiency detection.
| State | Job | ₹/acre | ₹/ha |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bihar | NDVI Scout | ₹150 | ₹370 |
Before you fly this mission
- DGCA rules for agricultural flying →
Green-zone limits, 120 m ceiling and the paperwork a spray sortie needs.
- Kisan Drone subsidy 2026 →
Up to 100% support for FPOs and CHCs buying the drone that runs this pass.
- Agri drone price list India →
What the machines capable of this mission cost, ex-showroom.
- Pilot licence cost & RPTO list →
You cannot fly this commercially without a DGCA remote pilot certificate.