Citrus orchards under formation evaluated by UAV-Based RGB Imagery

Few studies have investigated the biometric attributes of citrus orchards under formation that use RGB sensors on board unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and the challenges are great. This study aimed to develop and validate a method of using aerial UAV images by automated routines to evaluate the biometric attributes of a crop of 'Tahiti' acid lime under formation. We used a multirotor UAV, programmed to capture images at three different map scales, with a frontal and side overlap of 80 %. Geoprocessing was carried out both with and without ground control points on each scale. An automated routine was developed in an open-source environment, consisting of three processing phases: i) Estimation of the plant biometric attributes, ii) Statistical analysis, and iii) Statistical Report Map (SRM). The use of the developed routine allowed to delimit and estimate the crown projection area with an accuracy of more than 95 % as well as identify and quantify the plants with an accuracy of over 97 %. The use of ground control points during the processing stage does not increase accuracy in estimating the biometric attributes under evaluation. On the other hand, map scale is strongly correlated with the quality of the estimates, especially plant height. The results allowed to define a method for the acquisition and analysis of aerophotogrammetric data using a UAV, which can be used to measure the plant biometric attributes under analysis and the method can be easily adapted to perennial crops.

Semeadoras-adubadoras em semeadura convencional de soja / Fertilizer-seeders in the soybean conventional sowing

O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar o desempenho de três semeadoras-adubadora, em solo preparado convencionalmente e cinco densidades de plantas nas linhas. Foram avaliadas a produtividade e outras características agronômicas da soja. A semeadura foi realizada nos anos 2001/2002 e 2002/2003, com as cultivares 'Monarca' e 'Conquista'. Foram utilizadas semeadoras adubadoras, sendo duas de precisão e uma de fluxo contínuo e uma semeadura manual (testemunha). O delineamento experimental foi o de blocos ao acaso, com três repetições, e tratamentos em parcelas subdivididas. Foi realizada a avaliação da uniformidade de espaçamento entre plantas nas linhas, produtividade de grãos, dos legumes por planta, da massa de 100 grãos, da altura das plantas, do acamamento e da densidade real de plantas nas linhas. A semeadora de precisão com dosador pneumático a vácuo foi mais uniforme e proporcionou maior produtividade de grãos em relação à semeadora de dosador de tipo mecânico, nas densidades de 10 a 19 plantas m-1; na densidade de 22 plantas m-1, não houve diferença entre as semeadoras de precisão com relação à produtividade; a semeadora de fluxo contínuo, com a conformação utilizada neste trabalho, não foi adequada para a implantação da cultura da soja.(AU)

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of three fertilizer-seeders, in ground conventionally prepared and five densities of plants in the row in soybean yield and agronomic characteristics. The sowing was carried through in years 2001/2002 and 2002/2003, with Monarca and Conquista cultivars. Fertilizer-seeders were used, being two precision seeders and a one seed drills and manual sowing (witness). The experimental design was randomized blocks, with three replications, and treatments in split plots. Accuracy in plant spacing in the row, grains yield, pods for plant, mass of 100 grains, plants height, lodging and real density of plants in the row had been evaluated. The precision seeder with vacuum metering system provided larger accuracy and grains yield, in relation the mechanical metering system, in the densities from 10 to 19 plants m-1; in the 22 plants m-1 density it did not have difference between the precision seeders with regard to yield; the seed drills, with the conformation used in this work, was not adjusted for the implantation of the soybean crop.(AU)