July-August - 31

AG TECH
Again, the technology is providing access.
" Now he can treat those 20 or 30 acres and get good
yields out of them that he otherwise couldn't even
reach with his traditional equipment, " he said. " Drones
are unlocking applications that otherwise couldn't even
have been done with the current physical tools. "
Drones optimize crop scouting, which helps growers
understand crop progress on a farm-wide scale, said
Adityah Singh, assistant professor of agricultural and
biological engineering at the University of Florida
(UF). While specialized sensors may be required for
identifying specific issues, basic RGB or multispectral
sensors can detect signs of wilting or changes in
coloration and provide information to assess and
monitor overall crop development, Singh said.
" Drones can be outfitted with thermal imagers to
map crop canopy temperature, providing valuable
insights into water stress, " Singh said. " Wellhydrated
crops typically appear cooler due to
evapotranspiration, making it possible to identify areas
of concern. However, converting canopy temperatures
into precise estimates of evapotranspiration or water
demand requires further steps and is an active area of
research at UF. "
The challenge is how to properly evaluate the data
provided by drones. Analytic tools are precise and
Growers use drones to make informed decisions.
Photo courtesy of University of Florida.
should be calibrated so a grower can fly a drone
from one orchard to another or even a neighbor's
property, and not receive inconsistent data, said
Ali Pourreza, assistant professor and agricultural
engineering Extension specialist at the University
of California-Davis.
" Data collection is one part of the challenge, but data
analytics is also an important part because if we get
good data, but we don't have a good algorithm, that
data is useless and maybe even misleading, " Pourreza
said.
Problem-solving products for
whatever the season throws at you
Stress is the single biggest influence on crop yield and can come from a variety of sources including biotic or
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harmful Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS), molecules which damage cell membranes. Ethylene, a stress
hormone, is produced in response to exposure to prolonged stress. Ethylene weakens cell walls causing
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should have been using those resources for establishment or reproductive efforts.
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VEGETABLEGROWERSNEWS.COM | 31
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July-August

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of July-August