Monitoring wheat NDVI variation using a small UAV in Southern Dobrudja

Asparuh Atanasov

Abstract: For the needs of precision agriculture, it is important to create a database on the trends of changes in vegetation indices. The correct interpretation of the data for a specific region is useful for reading and planning subsequent treatments. The research was conducted with a small UAV equipped with a NIR camera in the period 2019-2022 in three fields in southern Dobrudja. The aim is to track the dynamics of NDVI changes in wheat. To create a database on the trends of change in NDVI in the specific agrarian climatic conditions of southern Dobrudja. The dynamics of the index during the period of extreme drought 2019-2020 have been tracked. Maximum values are recorded in the spindle phase - grading at the beginning of May. Returning frosts at the beginning of March lower the value sharply. The dynamics of NDVI during the phenological development of wheat was tracked, as a maximum of 0.5 was reached during the grading period. Humidity analysis gives a direct link to NDVI change trends with a week lag of the changes that occurred.

Keywords: common wheat; Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI); spectral vegetation indices; Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)

Citation: Atanasov, A. (2024). Monitoring wheat NDVI variation using a small UAV in Southern Dobrudja. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 30(5), 909–913

Date published: 2024-10-24