Drones diagnose plant health and decrease pesticide use
Plants can be stressed for a number of reasons, but one of the most common is a nutrient deficiency, according to Washington Department of Agriculture and Food research scientist Dusty Severtson.
"In particular, previous studies have found that potassium-deficient plants will be more susceptible to pest attacks, like aphids," he says.
Technology
The stress levels of individual plants in canola fields have been assessed using advanced imaging technology of a drone (an eight-rotor octocopter), mounted with a multi-sensor camera.
The researchers were able to see which areas in the field have the poorest plant growth by studying camera images and the wavelengths of light emitted by the plants.
The cellular structures of plant leaves strongly reflect near-infrared light when struck by sunlight. The more infrared light is reflected, the more leaves a plant has, indicating its health.
The UAV image was more accurate (99.9 percent) in detecting potassium-deficient canola at 120 meters above ground level, approximately four months after planting.
In the study, potassium-deficient plants showed less biomass and much higher infestations of green aphids.
What does this mean for the use of insecticides?
Severtson says the regions can be selected for early detection of pests and diseases and, if the study results are verified, they may also allow specific insecticide applications.
Severtson hopes that his research project's findings will encourage farmers to use insecticides more sparingly in the future.
"This technology will not only save farmers money, but will also reduce the widespread application of insecticides across the farm, resulting in the mitigation of insecticide resistance and the promotion of beneficial predatory insects in non-growing areas. sprayed, "he says.
However, although Mr. Severtson says UAV imaging technology is more accurate than satellite technology, it is still very early in terms of on-farm application.
"One of the biggest obstacles is that we are still producing 'Big Data', which means that we are receiving large amounts of information and farmers are really only looking for one or two simple findings of this technology," he says.
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