Unmanned aerial platform‑based multi‑spectral imaging for field phenotyping of maize

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.

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	Zaman-Allah, M., Vergara Diaz, O., Araus, J.L., Amsal Tesfaye Tarekegne, Magorokosho, C., Zarco-Tejada, P.J., Hornero, A., Hernández-Alba, A., Das, B., Craufurd, P., Olsen, M., Prasanna, B.M., Cairns, J.E.
Format:	Article biblioteca
Language:	English
Published:	BioMed Central 2015
Subjects:	AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES AND BIOTECHNOLOGY, Phenotyping Platforms, UAP, MAIZE, PHENOTYPES, REMOTE SENSING, UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES, NITROGEN FERTILIZERS,
Online Access:	http://hdl.handle.net/10883/16941
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