Article
Unmanned aerial platform‑based multi‑spectral imaging for field phenotyping of maize
Registro en:
10.1186/s13007-015-0078-2
Autor
Zaman-Allah, M.
Vergara Diaz, O.
Araus, J.L.
Zarco‑Tejada, P.J.
Hornero, A.
Hernández-Alba, A.
Magorokosho, C.
Das, B.
Amsal Tesfaye Tarekegne
Cairns, J.E.
Prasanna, B.M.
Olsen, M.
Craufurd, P.
Resumen
Background: Recent developments in unmanned aerial platforms (UAP) have provided research opportunities in assessing land allocation and crop physiological traits, including response to abiotic and biotic stresses. UAP-based remote sensing can be used to rapidly and cost-effectively phenotype large numbers of plots and field trials in a dynamic way using time series. This is anticipated to have tremendous implications for progress in crop genetic improvement. Results: We present the use of a UAP equipped with sensors for multispectral imaging in spatial field variability assessment and phenotyping for low-nitrogen (low-N) stress tolerance in maize. Multispectral aerial images were used to (1) characterize experimental fields for spatial soil-nitrogen variability and (2) derive indices for crop performance under low-N stress. Overall, results showed that the aerial platform enables to effectively characterize spatial field variation and assess crop performance under low-N stress. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data derived from spectral imaging presented a strong correlation with ground-measured NDVI, crop senescence index and grain yield. Conclusion: This work suggests that the aerial sensing platform designed for phenotyping studies has the potential to effectively assist in crop genetic improvement against abiotic stresses like low-N provided that sensors have enough resolution for plot level data collection. Limitations and future potential uses are also discussed. art.35