Characterizing growth condition of plants using multispectral sensors installed on an UAV
Upcoming webinar showcases how drones can be used to monitor crop health.
In agriculture, nothing is more important than the health of your crop- and the earlier you can address crop health issues, the better. New technology is making it possible to discover issues with crops before they are even visible to the human eye.
On March 2, Greg Matzke will be sharing the research results from his study that explored how multispectral sensors, when installed on a UAV (drone) could help determine the growth conditions of various types of vegetation such as wine crops in the Niagara on the Lake area.
The researchers mounted Multispectral cameras with RGB (Red, Green, Blue) near infrared and red edge bands on a DJI Inspire 1 Pro drone in order to determine the growth conditions of various types of vegetation. As near infrared and red edge bands are not visible to human eye, they can easily detect deficiency of chlorophyll, green pigment in the plants responsible for photosynthesis process and this allows for early intervention.
Greg Matzke is a professor in the Chemical, Environmental and Biotechnology Department at Mohawk College. His research project was supported by the IDEAWORKS Catalyst Fund (ICF), which provides funding to support new applied research and innovative scholarship in teaching and learning at Mohawk College.
The free webinar will be held on Thursday, March 2, 2021 from 2 p.m.- 3 p.m. and is open to Mohawk College employees, students and the public.