Advancements of drone utilization in crop production: a systematic review

Amidst the exponential global population growth, the integration of drones into precision crop production emerges as a pivotal strategy for optimizing agricultural processes. With projections indicating a required increase of over 60% in food production to feed the 9.7 billion people by 2050, optimizing agricultural practices becomes imperative. In this study, the utilization of drones in precision crop production was investigated through a systematic review of literature published in the Web of Science database between 2000 and 2022. Through a systematic review, the research aimed to assess the publication trends, research focus areas, and key operations related to drone use in precision crop production. Literature analysis using VOSviewer 1.6.18 software revealed a significant increase in publication activity, particularly from 2016 onwards, reflecting growing interest and advancements in drone technology in precision crop production. The United States emerged as the global leader in research on drone applications in precision crop production, followed by China and Australia. Notably, the Mann–Kendall and Sen’s Slope trend analysis indicated a significantly increasing tendency in the domain’s publication activity (p < 0.0001, S = 0.25). Key research areas included remote sensing, deep learning, and vegetation indices, with wheat, maize, and cotton being the most studied crops. The most significant drone operations included deep learning, vegetation indices, phenotyping, and yield estimation, individually with a total link strength of 25, 10, 7,7, and 7, respectively. The study recommends expanding research on drone applications across diverse crops, including horticultural crops, and strengthening support for the participation of low and lower-middle-income countries to enhance the accessibility and relevance of drone technology in agriculture.