New research from the WA School of Mines, Â鶹ֱ²¥ has explored how the use of drones can be used to monitor crop height to determine the best course of disease and pest control.<\/p>\n
Surveying Honours student John Long\u2019s research involved flying UAVs \u2014 unmanned aerial vehicles \u2014 fitted with consumer-grade cameras over 54 trial wheat plots to obtain crop height imagery, data which was then used to compare growth over time.<\/p>\n
He said the plots were seeded with six different wheat varieties and treated with varying herbicides and the resulting height data was illustrated by a scaled colour scheme \u2014 red for limited growth and blue for significant growth areas.<\/p>\n
Mr Long said this type of UAV usage could help growers to better identify the best treatments to apply to their crops to maximise yields.<\/p>\n
The honours project earned him a Hexagon Geospatial-sponsored award in the field of remote sensing.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe primary focus is on the detection of crop growth rates and devising an easy methodology for acquiring the data which consequently improves crucial farming decisions,\u201d Mr Long said.<\/p>\n
\u201cUsing this imagery, specific crops of interest can be targeted and analyses can be made to depict the highest crop out of the field, at a specific point in time.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis data creates results for farmers or agronomists to quickly assess the health of the crops and develop certain strategies of attaining ultimate crop performance.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Long said the project was driven by the need to apply this type of technology to Western Australia\u2019s farming terrain.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs WA is Australia\u2019s largest grain producing region as well as one of the biggest pest and disease-free agriculture production areas in the world, it is crucial for the State to maintain clean and ultimate cropping yields,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo maintain this, improved crop monitoring systems are required to achieve the best potential yields while having a minimal impact on the environment with non-destructive forms of measurement.\u201d<\/p>\n
Professor Bert Veenendaal, Head of Department of Spatial Sciences, Curtin WA School of Mines, said the research further demonstrated the importance of UAV technology to the agricultural industry.<\/p>\n
Mr Long\u2019s research was conducted at a Centre for Crop and Disease Management (CCDM) trial site at the Muresk Institute in WA\u2019s Wheatbelt area.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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