As the name suggests, remote sensing is the acquisition of information about an object or phenomenon from a distance. These technologies are garnering increasingly keen interest for multiple applications for monitoring individual plant development within large-scale commercial growth areas as part of a precision agriculture approach.
In recent years, technological advances have increased the availability of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles –UAV providing imagery for large numbers of plants grown in field conditions. Analyzing the image-based UAV-mounted cameras provides extensive information from which precise data on growth measurements such as leaf area coverage, spectral return and plants height.
This information can be used to map weeds in the field, identify areas with low seedling emergence rates, and monitor plant vitality throughout the season. The available data will allow farmers to make decisions based on accurate data, assess growth and implement precision treatments only where needed, ultimately reducing the costs of using pesticides and mechanical equipment and machinery in the field.
Red= soil Yellow= low growth Green= medium growth Blue+ high/strong growth
The image shows the different base treatment sub-plots comparing those with and without cover plants prior to seeding commercial crops.
Text and UAV photography by Shlomi Aharon
