Over the past 10 years, agrodrones have firmly established themselves in agriculture, transforming approaches to field monitoring and mapping, pesticide and fertilizer application, and other specialized tasks in the agro sector. Modern farmers no longer see agrodrones as an exotic technology—they are essential tools that help save time, resources, and increase yields and profitability. In 2024–2025, the industry has seen a breakthrough, with the introduction of more powerful, efficient, and productive drone models. While in the past, the average farmer may not have understood "what to do with them", today it is hard to find an agricultural professional who has not worked with some form of agrodron technology.
Global trends indicate the mass adoption of drones and an active shift towards variable-rate resource application, along with integration with various automated applications to address precision agriculture challenges. Ukrainian producers have a great opportunity not only to catch up but also to leverage the most advanced solutions to enhance the profitability of their farms.
Fig. 1. Precision Agriculture Trends in 2025
Current Trends in Agrodron Usage
After analyzing the latest publications on StartUs Insights, the author has highlighted several key aspects of modern drone usage in the agricultural sector for readers:
◻️ The Versatility of Drone Applications in Agriculture:
- Crop Monitoring and Precision Agriculture:Drones equipped with multispectral sensors enable farmers to monitor crop development in real-time, optimize water usage, and improve overall farm efficiency.
- Automated Spraying and Fertilizer Application: Drones developed by the Israeli startup Skyx ensure uniform pesticide and fertilizer spraying, reducing costs and minimizing environmental impact.
◻️ The Benefits of Integrating Drones into Agriculture:
- Increasing Efficiency and Yield: The use of drones for data collection and monitoring enables farmers to make informed decisions, leading to higher yields and optimized resource utilization.
- Reducing Costs and Labor Resources: Automation of processes such as spraying and monitoring decreases the need for manual labor and lowers operational expenses.
◻️ Challenges of Implementing Drones in the Agro Sector:
- Regulatory Barriers: The complexity of legal regulations, especially under martial law conditions, along with relatively high initial costs, hinders the rapid integration of drones into agriculture.
◻️ Examples of Innovative Startups in the Agrodron Industry:
- Drone Ag (United Kingdom): Develops Skippy Scout software for automated crop monitoring using drones, integrated with DJI Agras systems for precision spraying.
- Wakan Tech (Oman): Develops AI-powered drones for pollination, pesticide spraying, and crop monitoring, simplifying the management of large farming enterprises.
- Fuselage Innovations (India): Develops autonomous drones for spraying and granular fertilizer distribution, reducing the need for manual labor.
- AGRONIX (Ukraine): Supports the success of Ukrainian farmers by providing access to innovative field monitoring technologies and pesticide and fertilizer application using agrodrones.
The Most Advanced Drone Models for Agricultural Applications
DJI is planning to announce new models in the “Mavic” and “AGRAS” series by the end of 2025. However, this is not yet confirmed, and these innovations may only become available to Ukrainian farmers in 2026. The next-generation field monitoring drone, DJI Mavic 4, and the DJI AGRAS T100, designed for pesticide and fertilizer application, are already in development. We’re eagerly awaiting their release! 🙂
Today, we will review the options available for Ukrainian farmers:
DJI Mavic 3М – This is a multispectral drone specifically designed for agricultural research. Thanks to its compact size, powerful optics, and efficient data collection capabilities, it helps farmers increase yields and effectively manage crop conditions.
Main Functional Features:
- Multispectral camera (4 spectral bands + RGB) – allows assessment of plant health and generation of NDVI, GNDVI, and other indices.
- RTK module – provides high-precision geolocation with centimeter-level accuracy.
- Flight range up to 10 km
- Flight time – up to 40 minutes
- Intelligent mission planning – automated flight, map creation, and analytics.
- Obstacle avoidance technology – comprehensive safety sensors for stable flight.
Applications:
- Crop condition monitoring
- Optimization of fertilizer and pesticide use
- Detection of plant diseases and stress
- Field mapping and yield analysis
DJI Mavic 3M is the perfect tool for precision farming, enabling farmers to gather more information and make effective decisions based on real data.
In the following table, we will review the actual field mapping performance of the DJI Mavic 3M and its predecessors.
Table 1. Performance Comparison of the Most Popular Mapping Drones
To process multispectral images and create orthophotos with the Mavic 3M, there are several specialized software solutions available:
◻️ DJI Terra: Official software from DJI designed for mapping and drone data processing. Supports the creation of 2D and 3D maps, processing of multispectral images, and generation of orthophotos.
◻️ Agisoft: A powerful photogrammetry software that supports multispectral image processing, creation of high-precision 3D models, and orthophotos.
◻️ DroneDeploy: A cloud-based platform for processing aerial images, supporting multispectral data and providing tools for agricultural field analysis, orthophoto creation, and report generation.
◻️ Pix4Dfields: A specialized agricultural tool that enables fast processing of multispectral images, orthophoto creation, and analysis of vegetation indices for crop monitoring.
◻️ QGIS: A free GIS program that allows for processing and analyzing orthophotos created with drones, including the DJI Mavic 3M. It is a powerful tool for precision farming and agro-analysis. With QGIS, you can: georeference images (import orthophotos with RTK coordinates), generate NDVI maps (analyze vegetation health based on greenness), take measurements (area, perimeter, length, height), and combine data (layer overlays, integration with other maps).
Fig. 2. High-Resolution NDVI Orthophoto
DJI Agras T50 – is a powerful agro drone designed for high efficiency in agriculture. With a payload capacity of up to 50 kg and an enhanced spraying system, it is ideal for treating large fields. The automatic mission planning system and RTK enable centimeter-level accuracy. Combined with safety sensors that ensure flight stability, this drone is perfect for crop monitoring and treatment.
In the following table, we will review the actual performance of pesticide application using the DJI AGRAS T50 and its predecessors.
Table 2. Performance Comparison of the Most Popular Spraying Drones
The Mavic 3M and AGRAS T50 agro drones have already been "battle-tested" in the fields of Ukrainian farmers. Recently, they have proven their power and established themselves as professional and effective solutions for tasks in the agricultural sector.
Trends for the Coming Years: Integration of agro drones into the overall precision farming system, use of AI for drone self-learning, and full autonomy in flights and field treatments.
Recommendation: The choice of drone depends on the size of the farm, specific tasks, and budget. Modern agro drones are not a luxury, but a necessity for efficient agribusiness management.
Drones are the future that has already arrived. Don’t miss your chance — visit the AGRONIX website to choose “your” agro drone!
