What actually happens in the field.

Drone used

XAG P100 Pro + DJI Mavic 3M scout · via nalanda-chc

Tasks

DSR Seeding 15kg/ha · NDVI Scout weekly · Spraying 2× (herbicide + pesticide) · Urea spreading

Cost

₹450 / acre

“Pahle 15 mazdoor lagte the, ab drone se 2 ghante me 10 acre ho jata hai. Pani 30% kam laga DSR me. — Ramesh Kumar, Nalanda”

Documented outcome
DSR with drone spraying in Nalanda, Bihar: 20-25% water savings vs. transplanting, 15% labour cost reduction, 8-10% yield improvement; 120 ha covered across 45 FPO members

Source: Bihar Agri Dept + FPO interview

Drone used

DJI Agras T50 Orchard Mode · via bihar-agro-drones-patna

Tasks

Fruit counting AI · Canopy volume LiDAR · Orchard spray 2× (hopper)

Cost

₹900 / acre

“Litchi me hopper se 40% phool girta tha. T50 se shaam ko spray, canopy pe sahi dava, ab 22% zyada fal. — Sunita Devi, Muzaffarpur”

Documented outcome
Drone-based pest mgmt in GI-tagged Shahi Litchi orchards: 30% reduction in chemical use, 18% less fruit-drop, uniform canopy coverage in tall trees

Source: Nabhya internal field record

Drone used

DJI Mavic 3M scout + Agras T40 spray · via bihar-agro-drones-patna

Tasks

NDVI + NDRE scouting · Fungicide spray Tebuconazole

Cost

₹600 / acre

“Peela ratua (yellow rust) drone ne 7 din pehle pakda, time pe spray se 15% upaj bacha. — Manoj Yadav, Patna Diara”

Documented outcome
Early rust detection via drone multispectral + targeted fungicide spray: 15-20% yield saved from rust damage, 40% less fungicide vs. blanket spraying

Source: Nabhya internal field record

Drone used

XAG P150 RevoSpray AI Spot · via samastipur-maize

Tasks

FAW spot detection RGB AI · Emamectin spot spray

Cost

₹400 / acre

“Fall Armyworm ne pura khet kha liya tha. Drone ne keval keede wali jagah spray kiya, 88% dava bacha, upaj 20% zyada. — Upendra Singh”

Documented outcome
Rapid FAW response with drone spraying: 90% pest mortality in 48 hrs, 25% yield saved, 10x faster than manual knapsack; 200 ha covered in 3 days

Source: https://pps.agriculturejournals.cz/artkey/pps-202402-0007_comparative-analysis-of-unmanned-aerial-vehicle-and-conventional-spray-systems-for-the-maize-fall-armyworm-spod.php

Drone used

DJI Matrice 30T Thermal + Zoom · via Gaya Dairy

Tasks

Cattle counting 500 head in 15min · Fever detection thermal night

Cost

₹50 / acre

“500 bhains ginne me 3 ghante lagte the bike se, drone 15 min me gin deta hai, raat ko bukhar wali bhains thermal se pakad leta hai. — Dairy President Gaya”

Documented outcome
Drone-assisted fodder field scouting & livestock monitoring for 500-buffalo dairy cooperative: 20% improvement in fodder scheduling, early disease detection in herd

Source: Nabhya internal field record

Drone used

DJI Agras T40 CHC model · via Punjab CHC Sangrur

Tasks

Spraying 3× · Urea spreading wet field

Cost

₹500 / acre

“Paani bhare khet me tractor dhasta hai, drone udke spray kar deta hai. — Punjab farmer”

Documented outcome
Drone nano-urea & pesticide spraying on paddy: 90% water savings, 40% chemical reduction, 20% lower labour cost; FPO managed 500+ acres across Sangrur

Source: https://geospatialworld.net/news/agri-drones-telangana/

Drone used

DJI Agras T40 · via gujarat-amreli

Tasks

Pink bollworm spot spray · NDVI scout

Cost

₹650 / acre

“Pink bollworm spot spray se 88% dava bacha, upaj 20% zyada. — Amreli cotton FPO”

Documented outcome
Targeted bollworm spraying with drones: 35% pesticide reduction, 12% yield increase, better penetration in dense cotton canopy vs. ground sprayers

Source: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/387658562_SOPs_for_Drone-based_Pesticide_Application_in_Cotton

Drone used

DJI Agras T40

Tasks

Fungicide Tar Spot spray · Late-season scouting

Cost

₹1,200 / acre

“1000 acre corn — drone at $15/acre is more precise than the plane at $8/acre with all the drift. — Johnson, Iowa”

Documented outcome
Tar spot fungicide application via drone on 1000 ac corn: 15-18% yield protection, timely application in wet field conditions where ground rigs couldn't enter

Source: https://ag.dji.com/case-studies

Drone used

XAG P100 Pro Swarm (3 drones · 1 pilot)

Tasks

Desiccation spray · Fungicide swarm · NDVI scout

Cost

₹800 / acre

“10k ha soybean — swarm 3 XAG P100 with one pilot covers 150 ha/day. — Fazenda manager, Sorriso”

Documented outcome
Multi-drone swarm spraying on 10k ha soybean: 300 ha/day coverage, 25% input savings, ANAC-approved BVLOS ops; reduced compaction vs. ground rigs

Source: https://dronesinsight.blog/en/brazils-rbac-e-94-rewrite-what-operators-should-expect-from-anacs-next-drone-rul/

Drone used

XAG P100 Pro

Tasks

DSR seeding · Spray 3×

Cost

₹300 / acre

“50% of world agri drones are Chinese — ¥15/mu is the cheapest rate anywhere. — Shandong co-op lead”

Documented outcome
Cooperative drone spraying for rice pest & nutrient management: 60% faster than manual, 30% pesticide savings, integrated with big-data crop monitoring

Source: https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202405/1312901.shtml

Drone used

EAVision EA-30X CCMS

Tasks

Downy mildew organic spray · LiDAR canopy volume

Cost

₹2,500 / acre

“EU Green Deal demands 50% chemical cut by 2030 — spot spray is now mandatory. — Winzer, Bavaria”

Documented outcome
Drone fungicide spraying for downy mildew on steep-slope Riesling vineyards: 75-140 L/ha application, 50% chemical savings, allowed under German UAV regs since 2024

Source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S277237552500070X