New unique assessments available from our Drone Imagery Services
Do you know how many crop parameters can be obtained from drone imagery analysis?
From a series of 2 to 4 flights covering the whole trial duration, we usually deliver more than 12 different assessments on a large range of crops such as maize, cereals, oilseed rape and sunflower, pulse crops, potato and vegetables!
The NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) is one of the most used indices for monitoring crop development throughout its entire growth cycle. It is a ratio between the light reflectance recorded in the Near Infra-Red (NIR) and Red (R) bands. However, the chlorophyll absorbing R band quickly becomes insensitive, while the NIR band continuously increases: it results in NDVI saturation during the main vegetative development stages.
Do you know that several other parameters (or traits) can discriminate better across plots and modalities than NDVI?
For instance, the Leaf Area Index (LAI) and the Chlorophyll Content are better alternatives to detect crop response to stress and crop yield potential. Crop height can also be measured from a drone, as well as crop biovolume. Our experts are experienced in these, and can also deliver green cover, plant counts, flowering, lodging etc.
Image: Cloverfield platform - Hiphen
Drone imagery is currently the only method available to assess these parameters for entire plots, at regular intervals, without walking in the plot (and potentially damaging the crop). It is highly relevant especially for seeds, biostimulant & fertilizer trials, as well as some fungicide trials.
We combine our expertise with partners using the latest scientific research findings to deliver accurate, high-quality results. Through a secure online access portal, you can visualize in near-real time the crop pictures, the plot maps, analyse dynamic graphics and export data for further statistical analysis. Our drone imagery service is available across Europe but also in Brazil and in the US.
If you want to strengthen your field R&D program with consistent, repeatable, and traceable data over time and across sites then please get in touch! Request our drone imagery service catalogue which details the recommended flight plan and parameters available for each crop, as well as some use cases.
We recently organized some live demo sessions during the Symposium de Sanidad Vegetal 2024 in Sevilla, Spain and you can also request an online demo session!