Adapting remotely piloted aerial systems (aka drones) to small-scale horticulture production

Short Project Description:

Remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) provide a platform for collecting images that can be used in plant health surveys in agronomy. RPAS are being used widely in monoculture farm systems, and to a lesser extent in small-scale diverse farming operations. We believe that RPAS can be used to detect plant health in small-scale horticultural systems. To test this hypothesis, we would like to work with a BES intern who will partner with our team pilots to fly a quadcopter with a multispectral camera and develop vegetation indices for broccoli grown in an experimental field containing replicated plots under different field management practices in Oregon. We will also work with the BES intern to develop drought stress metrics using an infrared camera.

Student Responsibilities:

The BES student will be responsible for daily field assessment and management. Field assessments are important to "ground-truth" the conditions with a variety of scientific tools that measure plant health. Additionally, field management is important to minimize external "noise" from the remotely sensed images. This noise can be caused by non-target plants, and accidently irrigation. The student will work with our pilots to plan the flight and flight the drone. We will provide opportunities for the student to become a pilot if they desire. The BES intern will then be responsible for analyzing the images collected by the drone. We have developed training modules to guide the student in data analysis.

Project Objectives:

The projects objectives are to determine plant health metrics (nutrient status, and drought stress) using remotely sensed images. At NWREC we have a number of replicated field trials that the student will be able to use for their research. The results of their research will be shared online and with industry stakeholders.

Preferred Skills/Experience:

• Remote sensing in agriculture experience
• GIS experience
• RPAS (aka drone) experience
• Crop health management experience
• Field management experience
• Irrigation management experience
• Research experience
• Science communication experience

Student Learning Outcomes:

Depending on the students beginning skill-set, they will learn elementary to advanced levels of agricultural remote sensing, data analysis, and science communication.