Your crop’s health can shift quickly, sometimes without any warning. One section of the field might be too dry, another could be affected by pests or disease. Spotting these issues early is not always easy, especially if you're managing a large area.

That’s where a crop health monitoring system can help. With India’s agri-drone market set to touch ₹5,200 crore by 2030, more farmers are turning to this method.

In this blog, we’ll walk you through how it works and how you can use it to keep your crops in better shape.

Key Takeaways

• Crop health monitoring helps catch issues early, like pests or nutrient gaps.

• Sensors and tools reduce manual checks and save time.

• Precision spraying lowers pesticide and water use.

• Many farmers report 90% water and 30% pesticide savings.

• Services like Leher offer easy, on-demand spraying.

• Even small farmers can boost their yield without needing tech skills.

Top Reasons Behind Poor Crop Health

According to a report by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), nearly 30% of the country’s agricultural land has been degraded due to the overuse of chemicals. This kind of damage affects how crops grow, slowing growth, reducing yields, and making plants more vulnerable.

Main reasons behind poor crop health are:

• Nutrient imbalance: Crops need the right mix of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and micronutrients. Too little or too much of any can stunt growth or reduce yield.

• Pest and disease attacks: Insects, fungi, and viruses can damage roots, leaves, and stems, often spreading quickly and affecting large areas before they’re spotted.

• Water stress: Both excess and lack of water weaken plant health. Overwatering can cause root rot, while drought leads to stunted growth and low productivity.

• Weed competition: Weeds fight crops for sunlight, nutrients, and water. If not controlled in time, they can reduce output and increase costs.

• Soil degradation: Years of overuse, erosion, or chemical-heavy farming strip soil of fertility and reduce its ability to support healthy crops.

• Unpredictable weather: Sudden rain, heatwaves, hail, or cold spells disrupt plant growth stages and often cause long-term damage to the crop cycle.

Also Read: Maximise Your Crop Yield with a Pesticide Spraying Drone

Understanding the problems is just the first step. Let’s look at some smart ways you can tackle them and keep your crops in top shape.

Smart Ways to Keep Your Crops Healthy

A small delay spotting a pest or overusing a chemical can hurt both your yield and your wallet. That’s where smart tech is slowly stepping in to do the heavy lifting.

In Punjab, for example, wheat farmers have started using drones for pesticide spraying. These drones can scan and cover nearly 10 acres in under an hour, replacing the days it used to take with manual labour.

And it’s not just about speed. Data from Vaimanika Aerospace shows these farmers used 20% less pesticide last year. That meant lower input costs and fewer chemicals seeping into nearby water.

Turns out, letting machines do the scanning and spraying lets you focus on the growing. Here's how you can make that shift on your farm, too.

• Use drone spraying for precision care: Covers large or tall crops quickly. Perfect for bananas or cotton. Farmers in Jalgaon saw faster growth and better coverage than with manual methods.

• Reduce chemicals and save money: In Maharashtra’s Sangli district, drone users cut pesticide use by half and sprayed an acre in just 10 minutes instead of a full day.

• Capture detailed aerial crop data: Drones with multispectral sensors help spot dry zones, pests, or nutrient deficiency early, before you see them walking the field.

• Speed up routine checks: Cover many acres in minutes with drone flights, saving you time and effort compared to walking the fields yourself.

• Get real-time alerts and control: Apps linked to sensors or drones send instant notifications about water stress, pest risk, or nutrient needs.

• Track what you do for better planning: Record spray dates, chemical use, and results. That info helps you improve practices for future crops and seasons.

Also Read: New Technology in Agriculture: Top Trends and Benefits

When you’re managing acres of land, it’s easy to miss early signs of trouble. A crop health monitoring system helps you stay one step ahead, keeping an eye on your crops from sowing to harvest, so nothing goes unnoticed.

What Is a Crop Health Monitoring System?

A crop health monitoring system helps you keep track of your crop’s condition throughout the growing season, right from sowing to harvest. It uses modern tools like drones, sensors, and apps to give you updates on your farm’s health in real time.

Here’s how it helps you catch problems early:

• Pest attacks: Drones capture unusual crop patterns or patchy growth that could mean pest damage.

• Water stress: Sensors and aerial images show if certain areas are too dry or too soggy.

• Nutrient deficiency: Discoloured or stunted patches may appear in imagery, often pointing to missing nutrients.

• Soil problems: Irregular crop performance in specific zones can indicate poor soil health or compaction.

• Disease outbreaks: Early signs like unusual spots or leaf curling are visible through high-resolution scans.

• Delayed crop growth: Differences in crop height or colour across the field can hint at slow or uneven development.

Once you understand how crop health monitoring works, the next question is, what’s the easiest way to do it across a large field? That’s where aerial support comes in.

Monitoring from the Sky: Drones in Crop Health

Walking across your entire field to check for pests, dry patches, or sick crops takes time and energy. And sometimes, by the time you do spot the issue, it’s already too late. That’s a big problem for farmers who depend on every harvest.

But what if you could get a full view of your farm in just a few minutes?

That’s exactly what drones offer. With just one flight, you can see which areas need attention, whether it’s pest control, water, or nutrients. No guesswork. No wasted effort.

Here’s how drones help with real-time crop health monitoring:

• Cover more ground, faster – Monitor over 50 acres in a single day

• Spot early signs of trouble – Catch issues before they spread

• Use less water and pesticide – Spray only where it’s really needed

• Save time and labour – No more tiring field rounds every week

With the right crop health monitoring system, drone spraying goes hand-in-hand with smart farming. Services like Leher have already sprayed over 30,000 acres, helping farmers save up to 90% water, 40% on inputs, and 20% on overall costs, all while boosting productivity.

For farmers who want to work smarter, not harder, drone monitoring is a step toward better harvests and peace of mind.

Want to monitor and spray without the stress? With the Leher App (Google Play, Apple Store), you can check crop health and get targeted spraying done, all through one simple booking. Download now!

Also Read: How Drones Are Revolutionising Agriculture practises

While aerial views show the big picture, sensors pick up the finer details. They track changes in moisture and nutrients, helping you act fast before small issues grow bigger.

How Sensors Help You Monitor Crop and Soil?

For many farmers, it's difficult to know what's happening below ground or across large fields just by visual inspection. That’s where real-time sensors in a crop health monitoring system become like trusted helpers, quietly watching, collecting data, and giving you useful information.

These sensors monitor soil moisture, temperature, nutrients, and plant health, often transmitting data straight to your mobile or dashboard. Let’s look at how they make a difference with real-world examples.

1. Know When to Irrigate

Sensors measure soil moisture at root level, helping you water precisely when needed, not too early and never too late. This means you save water, pump less, and avoid under- or over-watering.

2. Spot Crop Stress Before Visible

Multispectral or thermal sensors detect changes in plant colour or heat before you can see them with your eyes, signs of pests, disease, or drought. Early alerts mean faster treatment and less damage.

3. Apply the Right Inputs—Only Where Needed

Sensors help pinpoint areas within a field that need fertilisers or pesticides, instead of applying inputs across the whole farm. This precision saves money, reduces waste, and keeps your crops healthier.

4. Research-Backed Crop Health Monitoring System by IEEE

Innovations like the IEEE crop health monitoring system combine temperature, moisture, and chlorophyll sensors to detect plant stress before it becomes visible.

While currently used in academic and large-scale trials, these research-based systems are creating a future of affordable, real-time tools. These are benefits that small and mid-sized Indian farmers can also reap.

Also Read: Micronutrients for Effective Crop Production

All this tech can sound complicated, but it doesn’t have to be. That’s where Leher steps in, making smart farming tools easy to access and use, even if you’re not tech-savvy.

How Leher Makes It Simple for Farmers?

Leher has helped 2,100+ farmers across India manage their crops better using drones. With over 30,000 acres sprayed and 100+ trained drone partners, Leher’s platform simplifies crop spraying and supports farmers in improving crop health. Using advanced drone and sensor tech, it helps detect and act on issues early.

Here’s how Leher supports farmers with crop health:

• Book a drone spray easily through the Leher app

• Get timely and precise spraying with trained local pilots

• Reduce water usage by up to 90% during spraying

• Spot pests, dryness, or nutrient gaps using drone visuals

• Save 20–30% on input costs like water and fertilisers

• Keep a spraying history to track crop performance over time

Download the Leher App (Google Play, Apple Store) to book your drone spray, track crop health, and save on costs!

FAQs

Q. What exactly is a crop health monitoring system?
A. It’s like having a smart helper for your farm. Sensors and drones keep an eye on your crop’s condition, spotting signs of stress, pests, or dryness before you notice them. That way, you act early and avoid damage.

Q. How does a crop health monitoring system protect my yield?
A. It alerts you before things go wrong, like yellowing leaves, fungus, or nutrient shortages. You treat only what’s needed, where it’s needed. That means healthier crops and less waste.

Q. Are crop health monitoring systems affordable for small farms?
A. Yes. You don’t need to buy expensive equipment. Services like Leher let you book drone sprays when you need them. You pay per use; no contracts, no extra hassle.

Q. Do I need internet to use a crop health monitoring system?
A. Not always. Most systems can work offline and update later. And if you use a service like Leher, the team manages most of the tech. You just need the basics—a smartphone and the app.

Q. Can these systems handle sudden weather changes like unseasonal rains?
A. Yes. If your crop starts reacting to excess rain or disease risk, the system picks it up early. That way, you act before it spreads and protect your yield.

Q. How much water and pesticide can I save using this system?
A. A lot. Many farmers report saving up to 90% water and 30–40% pesticide by switching to smart spraying through drones and real-time monitoring.

Q. How do I get started with a crop health monitoring system like Leher?
A. Download the Leher app, book a drone spray, and a trained pilot will take care of the rest. No equipment to install, no technical learning curve.

Q. Will it save me time on farm checks?
A. Definitely. Drones scan the field in minutes. You get updates straight to your phone, so you don’t have to walk around checking every corner manually.