Precision agriculture data acquired from Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs) have the potential to provide real-time spatial and temporal site-specific information that will enable Tennessee soybean producers to increase production, reduce input costs, and manage farmland more efficiently. The objective of this project is to test currently available UAS technology to determine the potential applications of these systems for acquiring high-resolution data for site-specific management of soybean production systems in Tennessee.
UASs also have the potential to capture high-resolution remote sensing data that can be used for site-specific crop management. Cameras fixed beneath an unmanned aerial vehicle, or UAV, are capable of collecting high-resolution visible, multispectral, and thermal imagery for applications in precision agriculture management. Visible imagery can be digitally processed into maps that give an indication of stand count, weed infestation, crop progress, or crop damage from floods and wildlife. Thermal imagery can be used to map soil moisture and plant canopy temperature, enabling assessment of irrigation management and efficiency. Multispectral imagery enables the calculation of vegetation indices that related to crop vigor and plant health which can be used for yield prediction mapping and management zone development, as well as precision fertilizer, pesticide, and seeding applications – all of which can boost crop health, reduce input costs, and increase yields by improving management decisions. While remote sensing data acquired from conventional platforms such as satellites and manned aircraft are currently available, the major challenges that have limited agricultural applications of these remotely senses aerial images are their high cost, low-spatial resolution for certain applications, and dependency on weather conditions. As a result, very few soybean growers are using this technology in their farming operations for making site-specific management decisions, This is particularly true in the case for small- to medium-size soybean growers. The recent development and availability of low-cost UASs could increase the number of soybean producers utilizing remotely sensed data in their farming operations.
Acquiring high-quality, stable data with UASs is challenging; standard operating procedures should be developed such that data is usable and accurate. As the technology of remove sensing fro UAVs evolve, it will become increasingly more important to find the quickest and most cost-effective ways to acquire and process the data, store it securely, and manage it for ease of use and scalability to be of value to producers.