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Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for High-Throughput Phenotyping and Agronomic Research.
Yeyin Shi1,2, J Alex Thomasson1,2, Seth C Murray3,2
1Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, 77843, United States of America.
Plos One
|July 30, 2016
Summary
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) provide high-volume crop data for faster breeding and precision agriculture. This study details project planning, data collection, and analysis workflows, offering lessons for agricultural remote sensing research.
Area of Science:
- Agricultural Science
- Remote Sensing
- Data Science
Background:
- Modern agriculture demands real-time, high-volume crop data for accelerated breeding and optimized agronomic practices.
- Advances in automation and data science, alongside increased genomic data, necessitate faster phenotypic data collection.
- Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) offer innovative agricultural remote sensing capabilities, presenting unique opportunities and challenges.
Purpose of the Study:
- To report on the processes and lessons learned from a multidisciplinary project evaluating UAV data in agricultural research.
- To develop methods for UAVs to collect high-quality, high-volume crop data with rapid turnaround for field scientists.
- To assess UAV image data across diverse breeding and agronomic trials.
Main Methods:
- A large multidisciplinary project involving five teams: Administration, Flight Operations, Sensors, Data Management, and Field Research.
- Evaluation of UAVs and sensors across multiple crops in breeding plots and agronomic fields over two growing seasons.
- Development of data collection and analysis workflows, including team and project planning, and UAV/sensor selection and integration.
Main Results:
- Successful implementation of UAVs for collecting high-volume crop data in diverse agricultural research settings.
- Identification of critical lessons learned regarding sensors, air vehicles, and configuration parameters for agricultural remote sensing.
- Development of practical workflows for data acquisition and analysis, supporting faster crop improvement and precision agriculture.
Conclusions:
- UAVs are a powerful tool for generating high-quality, high-volume crop data essential for modern agriculture.
- The project provided valuable insights and practical lessons for researchers utilizing UAVs in agricultural applications.
- Effective project planning, sensor selection, and data management are crucial for successful UAV-based agricultural research.
