Yield Estimation Biomass
Biomass NDVI x canopy volume, 5% accuracy
Mission briefing
Yield Estimation Biomass sits in the pre-harvest stage of the crop cycle. It runs on a m3m + l2 carrying ms + rgb + lidar, and in Bihar the window is 30 days before harvest at a frequency of 1x. Expect roughly 100ha/hr per sortie, and stand the drone down outside the wind <10m/s envelope — flying past it wastes chemical and risks drift onto neighbouring plots. Readings are interpreted through NDVI, LAI, CHM, so the payload has to output those bands rather than plain RGB. Biomass NDVI x canopy volume, 5% accuracy On a medium-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
- MS + RGB + LiDAR
- Drone class
- M3M + L2
- Vegetation indices
- NDVI, LAI, CHM
When to fly (Bihar)
- Timing
- 30 days before harvest
- Frequency
- 1x
- Coverage
- 100ha/hr
- Weather envelope
- Wind <10m/s
What this pass costs to buy in
Custom-hire rates operators actually charge for field work. Use these as the benchmark before you decide whether to own a drone or hire one for yield estimation biomass.
| State | Job | ₹/acre | ₹/ha |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bihar | Spraying Rice | ₹450 | ₹1111 |
| Bihar | NDVI Scout | ₹150 | ₹370 |
| Bihar | Spreading Urea | ₹400 | ₹988 |
| Bihar | DSR Seeding | ₹800 | ₹1976 |
| Punjab | Spraying Rice | ₹500 | ₹1235 |
| Haryana | Spraying | ₹500 | ₹1235 |
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.