Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in Crop Production: A Review

Date Received: 27-10-2025

Date Accepted: 25-02-2026

Date Published: 28-02-2026

##submissions.doi##: https://doi.org/10.31817/tckhnnvn.2026.24.2.13

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Hanh, N., Dinh, N., Anh, P., & Luyen, P. (2026). Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in Crop Production: A Review. Vietnam Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 24(2), 263–273. https://doi.org/10.31817/tckhnnvn.2026.24.2.13

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in Crop Production: A Review

Nguyen Hong Hanh 1 , Nguyen Thi Ngoc Dinh (*) 2 , Pham Thi Lan Anh 3 , Phan Thi Hai Luyen 4

  • Tác giả liên hệ: [email protected]
  • 1 Khoa Nông học
  • 2 Trung tâm Nông nghiệp hữu cơ, Khoa Nông học, Học viện Nông nghiệp Việt Nam
  • 3 Khoa Công nghệ thông tin
  • 4 Khoa Tài Nguyên và Môi trường

    • Keywords

    Crop monitoring, crop yield forcast, spraying and fertilization, soil-water-nutrition management, UAV

    Abstract


    This paper provides an overview of the applications of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in crop production to meet the demands of precision agriculture development and climate change adaptation. The objective of the study was to systematize the technologies, applications, and challenges associated with UAV use in crop management. The synthesis results indicate that UAVs have been effectively applied in monitoring crop growth, predicting crop yield, detecting pests and diseases, automated spraying and fertilization, and managing soil, water and nutrients. By integrating multispectral, hyperspectral, thermal, and LiDAR sensors with artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques, UAVs enable precise data acquisition and decision-making and reducing water, fertilizer and pesticide use by 20-50% while lowering emissions. Despite limitations in investment cost, payload capacity, and regulatory frameworks, UAVs are emerging as a core technology driving smart, efficient, and sustainable agricultural development in Vietnam.

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