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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Wapato, Washington » Temperate Tree Fruit and Vegetable Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #410625
Research Project: Potato Germplasm Development for Improved Sustainability, Disease Resistance, Nutrition, and Quality

Location: Temperate Tree Fruit and Vegetable Research

Title: Adoption of unoccupied aerial systems in agricultural research

Author
item LACHOWIEC, JENNIFER - Montana State University
item Feldman, Max
item MATIAS, FILIPE - North Dakota State University
item LEBAUER, DAVID - University Of Arizona
item GREGORY, ALEXANDER - Oregon State University

Submitted to: The Plant Phenome Journal
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/13/2024
Publication Date: 3/8/2024
Citation: Lachowiec, J., Feldman, M.J., Matias, F.I., LeBauer, D., Gregory, A. 2024. Adoption of unoccupied aerial systems in agricultural research. The Plant Phenome Journal. 7(1). Article e20098. https://doi.org/10.1002/ppj2.20098.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ppj2.20098

Interpretive Summary: The adoption of new technologies within agriculture poses unique challenges. Recent advances in drone technology enable frequent, accurate data collection from agricultural fields. Surprisingly, drone technology has not been widely adopted. Scientists at the USDA-ARS Temperate Tree Fruit and Vegetable Research Unit in Prosser, WA in collaboration with university partners performed a survey to identify adoption bottlenecks and applications of drone technology. The survey reached over 150 respondents from 21 countries, representing many different agricultural sectors. Over 80% of respondents report drone-based measurements as valuable, with just under half reporting drone data as highly valuable. Current drone users are more likely to report drone technology as “very valuable” relative to those who desire to use this technology in the future. Respondents identify “High cost of instruments/devices or software” as the top barrier to entry followed by “Lack of knowledge or trained personnel to analyze data”. Community members feel that “Detailed step-by-step protocols” and “In-person training for personnel” are the preferred channels to share training resources. This research provides a snapshot of the prevailing perceptions and challenges of drone adoption in agriculture.

Technical Abstract: A comprehensive survey and subject-expert interviews conducted among agricultural researchers investigated perceived value and barriers to the adoption of unoccupied aerial systems (UAS) in agricultural research. The study involved 154 respondents from 21 countries representing various agricultural sectors. The survey identified three key applications considered most promising for UAS in agriculture: precision agriculture, crop phenotyping/plant breeding, and crop modeling. Over 80% of respondents rated UAS for phenotyping as valuable, with 47.6% considering them very valuable. Among the participants, 41% were already using UAS technology in their research, while 49% expressed interest in future adoption. Current users highly valued UAS for phenotyping, with 63.9% considering them very valuable, compared to 39.4% of potential future users. The study also explored barriers to UAS adoption. The most commonly reported barriers were the "High cost of instruments/devices or software" (46.0%) and the "Lack of knowledge or trained personnel to analyze data" (40.9%). These barriers persisted as top concerns for both current and potential future users. Respondents expressed a desire for detailed step-by-step protocols for drone data processing pipelines (34.7%) and in-person training for personnel (16.5%) as valuable resources for UAS adoption. The research sheds light on the prevailing perceptions and challenges associated with UAS usage in agricultural research, emphasizing the potential of UAS in specific applications and identifying crucial barriers to address for wider adoption in the agricultural sector.