Use of NDVIs obtained through ARPs on physiological maturity and pesticide application efficiency: a mapping of trends, collaboration networks and literature gaps

Agriculture 4.0 has transformed agronomic practices through the integration of IoT, big data, artificial intelligence, and robotics, enabling more precise and sustainable decision-making in the field. In this context, PRAs have emerged as powerful sensing platforms capable of capturing high-resolution multispectral imagery and generating vegetation indices such as NDVIs for crop monitoring. This study aimed to conduct a bibliometric and scientometric analysis of NDVIs derived from PRAs to assess the evolution and scientific impact of publications in the field—particularly in the subareas of physiological maturity determination and pesticide application efficiency. Additional objectives included identifying key authors, mapping collaboration networks, and detecting emerging research themes. The analysis was carried out using the Scopus and Web of Science (WoS) databases, and VOSviewer software was employed to generate visualization and collaboration networks. The results revealed exponential growth in NDVI-related research using ARPs from 2015 onwards, with China and the United States standing out as the main global research hubs. Collaboration patterns showed strong clustering by nationality and limited international interaction, indicating structural fragmentation within the field. Although WoS contains a larger overall volume of publications, frontier studies—specifically those correlating NDVI with physiological maturity and pesticide application efficiency—were found exclusively in Scopus. Overall, despite the significant expansion of scientific output, research with direct agronomic impact remains incipient. These findings underscore the need for targeted investigations to bridge existing knowledge gaps and advance high-impact applications of NDVI in modern agriculture.