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ARS Home » Plains Area » Fort Collins, Colorado » Center for Agricultural Resources Research » Water Management and Systems Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #308256
Title: UAS-based thermal remote sensing for crop water stress detection

Author
item Zhang, Huihui
item Wang, Dong
item Ayars, James

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/3/2014
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: The remote detection of water stress in a biofuel crop field was investigated using canopy temperature measurements. An experimental trial was set up in the central valley of Maui, Hawaii, comprising different sugarcane varieties and irrigation regimes. An unmanned aerial system (UAS) was equipped with a FLIR A615 thermal camera to acquire canopy temperature imagery. Images were mosaicked and processed to show spatial temperature difference of entire field. A weather station was installed in a full irrigation plot to collect meteorological parameters. The sensitivity of canopy to air temperature difference and crop water stress index were investigated on detecting crop water stress levels. The results showed that low irrigation level treatment plots resulted in higher canopy temperatures compared to the high irrigation level treatment plots. Canopy temperatures also showed differences in water stress in different sugarcane varieties. The study demonstrated the feasibility of UAS-based thermal method to quantify plant water status of sugar canes used for biofuel crops.