While it is possible to accurately assess soybean defoliation by pests through on-the-ground scouting, the process is time consuming. UAV-based remote-sensing technology could be used to quickly assess damage in the field to aid with management decisions, which contributing to efficient and appropriate pest management. The specific project objectives include obtaining ground-truthed data on insect defoliation levels, evaluating different UAV-mounted sensors for their ability to diagnose this known damage from the air, and developing a preliminary model on how aerial observations correspond to actual damage, which can be validated in future work.
Key Benefactors:
farmers, agronomists, extension agents