Issue №1, Vol. 23
Vasiliev V., Afonichev D., Axenov I., Eremin M. Assessment of an improved unmanned aerial vehicle performance efficiency for dry mineral fertilization // Resources and Technology. 2026. №1, Vol. 23. P. 80‒102.
DOI: 10.15393/j2.art.2026.9063
Assessment of an improved unmanned aerial vehicle performance efficiency for dry mineral fertilization
| Vasiliev Vladimir Viktorovich | Voronezh State Agrarian University named after Emperor Peter the Great, vasiliev.vladimir87@mail.ru |
| Afonichev Dmitry Nikolaevich | Voronezh State Agrarian University named after Emperor Peter the Great, dmafonichev@yandex.ru |
| Axenov Igor Igorevich | Voronezh State Agrarian University named after Emperor Peter the Great, igor-aksenov1989@ya.ru |
| Eremin Mikhail Yurievich | Voronezh State Agrarian University named after Emperor Peter the Great, emu69@yandex.ru |
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Key words: unmanned aerial vehicle; ground spreader; mineral fertilizer; winter grain crops |
Summary: The article deals with an improved unmanned aerial vehicle designed for sowing crops and applying loose mineral fertilizers to the soil. A distinctive feature of this unmanned aerial vehicle is its reduced weight, which allows for a larger capacity for loading seeds or loose mineral fertilizers. The authors present a methodology for evaluating the effectiveness of using an unmanned aerial vehicle for early spring application of mineral fertilizers on winter crops compared with ground — based spreaders. The methodology specifies two options. The first one regards the situation when ground-based spreaders do not fertilize winter crops with mineral fertilizer after snow cover melting, but fertilize them only during spring tillering, while fertilizing of winter crops performed with unmanned aerial vehicles is done in a timely and complete manner. The second option regards the situation when ground-based spreaders do not fertilize winter crops with mineral fertilizer either after snow cover melting or during spring tillering while both operations are performed with unmanned aerial vehicles in a timely and complete manner. Formulas for calculating the economic effect are provided for each option. The results of calculating the economic effect of using unmanned aerial vehicles instead of ground-based spreaders for early spring application of mineral fertilizers on winter wheat crops, depending on the area of sowing, the cost of winter wheat, and the cost of applying mineral fertilizers using unmanned aerial vehicles, showed that for both options, the economic effect is present and varies from 2.040.000 rubles to 26.419.000 rubles, depending on the area of sowing of winter wheat. If the cost of winter wheat changes from 1,050 rubles per centner to 1.500 rubles per centner for both options, the economic effect also changes from 5.940.000 rubles to 13.169.000 rubles. When the cost of applying mineral fertilizers with unmanned aerial vehicles after the snow cover melting and during the spring tillering period is 8.000—16.500 rubles per hectare and 6.000—14.500 rubles per hectare, respectively, the use of unmanned aerial vehicles is advisable and has a positive economic effect ranging from 10.469.000 rubles to 1.469.000 rubles. However, when the cost is higher, the use of unmanned aerial vehicles becomes unprofitable. |
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