Observation of the vegetation processes of agricultural crops using small unmanned aerial vehicles in Dobrudja region

Asparuh Atanasov, Aleksandrina Bankova and Ginka Zhecheva

Abstract: The presented study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of small unmanned aerial vehicles used to assess vegetation processes and predict yield. The UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) is equipped with a 20 MP camera with RGB spectrum and another 12 MP camera with NIR spectrum mounted on it. The flights were conducted in different light conditions throughout the crops growing season in the economic year of 2020/21. Classical yield estimation methods, which consist of manual field sampling of a limited number of plants, are time consuming and are often insufficient in gaining representative yield data. The information obtaining methods have been observed and tested. The application of innovative phenotypological technologies such as UAV, high resolution cameras, and visual computational algorithms allowed for the estimation method testing. The method proved to be time-saving and able to provide accurate estimation data, in comparison to the manual methods.

Keywords: precision farming; UAV (unmanned aeral vehicle); yield estimation

Date published: 2023-02-24