Integrating UAV multispectral imaging and proximal sensing for high-precision cereal crop monitoring

Multispectral optical data significantly enhances cereal crop monitoring by enabling precise tracking of growth stages, early detection of germination issues, and assessment of plant health. This study evaluates the potential of integrating UAV multispectral sensor with the handheld Plant-O-Meter device for high-precision crop monitoring. The aim was to determine the optimal UAV imaging timing that aligns with proximal sensor measurements to improve growth stage assessments. Experiments were conducted on 41 cereal genotypes, including ancient and modern varieties, under two nitrogen top-dress dosages across 130 plots. The top ten performing genotypes were analyzed to identify resilient varieties adaptable to climate change and evolving field conditions. Our results demonstrate that vegetation indices during booting and spike emergence stages consistently predict yield potential, offering a robust framework for early-stage yield estimation. Additionally, we provide a comparative analysis of UAV and handheld sensor data, highlighting their respective strengths and limitations. Three vegetation indices, GRDVI, NDVI and SAVI demonstrated a very strong average positive correlation: 0.957, 0.954 and 0.944 across the selected genotypes from different performance levels. The combined dataset supports improved fertilization strategies, optimized seeding cycles, and identification of genotypes with stable agronomic traits. This study underscores the synergistic potential of aerial and proximal sensing technologies for next-generation cereal crop management and precision agriculture.