Field Work

UAV-based multispectral image collection at experimental field in Turkey.

Adana, TürkiyeJuly 12, 2024 – October 31, 2026

Field Preparation

How Çukurova University prepared the trial field in Adana, from choosing the site to the first drone images:

  1. Visit to the agricultural research institute

    The project team visited the Eastern Mediterranean Agricultural Research Center in Adana, presented the project, and toured the institute's facilities and experimental fields.

    The project team in front of the Eastern Mediterranean Agricultural Research Center.

  2. Planning and choosing the site

    The Çukurova team planned the experiment design, crop, logistics and image acquisition, and chose a site of about one hectare: free of flight restrictions, with calm clear weather, easy access, suitable soil, an irrigation system and protection from damage.

    The Çukurova University team meeting, with a drone on the table.

  3. Preparing the land

    The land was prepared and irrigated to create ideal soil conditions. Controlling the soil's nitrogen was found to be necessary before the trial.

    A tractor preparing the dry field.

  4. Growing corn to remove excess nitrogen

    Silage corn was planted on 7 August 2024 to take up the nitrogen left by the previous crop, and was irrigated and fertilized over the summer.

    Irrigated rows of young corn.

  5. –

    Corn harvested, soil ready for wheat

    The corn was harvested on 23 October 2024; by 31 October the soil was ideal for sowing the target crop, wheat.

    The corn being harvested.

  6. Plots laid out and wheat sown

    On a 90 × 90 m area, two blocks of 27 plots (6 × 10 m, 3 m apart, with a 3 m buffer) were laid out for an early and a late crop. Nitrogen was applied at 0, 10 or 20 g/m² and irrigation at 0, 50 or 100%. The early wheat was sown on 12 December 2024.

    Aerial view of the plot grid marked out in the field.

  7. Soil samples for analysis

    Soil samples were taken from the field for laboratory analysis.

    Bags of soil samples in the field.

  8. First drone images

    The first aerial images showed different shades of green across the plots, reflecting the nitrogen and irrigation treatments. The late-crop plots were still bare.

    Early drone image of the plots, showing different shades of green.

  9. Late wheat sown

    The second block, the late crop, was sown on 28 February 2025.

    A seed drill sowing the late wheat block.

  10. Checking the crop in the field

    The team visited the field to assess crop growth and spot potential problems, and the crops were irrigated on 12 March.

    Team members in the green wheat plots.

  11. –

    Weed control

    The strips between the plots were ploughed on 24 March. In early April, herbicide-resistant weeds had to be removed from every plot by hand, which took several working days.

    Removing weeds by hand between wheat plots.

  12. Irrigation system set up

    The irrigation system for the 0, 50 and 100% treatments was installed.

    Irrigation equipment beside the wheat plots.

  13. Expert visit and image processing plan

    Experts assessed the growth of the early and late crops, and the team agreed the image pre-processing steps and the next acquisition dates.

    Experts examining ripening wheat plots.

First Data Collection: the 2025 Season

Five flights with a multispectral drone over all 54 plots, ten spectral bands each. The images were mosaicked and corrected, then turned into NDVI and per-plot statistics.

Early block sown:
December 12, 2024
Late block sown:
February 28, 2025
Flights:
5

  1. Flight 1

    Day 124 after early sowing

    Temperature
    11–21 °C
    Rain
    No rain
    Wind
    up to 19 km/h, gusts 36from NNW
    Cloud cover
    19% cloud

  2. Flight 2

    Day 127 after early sowing

    Temperature
    11–27 °C
    Rain
    No rain
    Wind
    up to 13 km/h, gusts 27from S
    Cloud cover
    6% cloud

  3. Flight 3

    Day 146 after early sowing

    Temperature
    16–27 °C
    Rain
    No rain
    Wind
    up to 16 km/h, gusts 34from S
    Cloud cover
    47% cloud

  4. Flight 4

    Day 174 after early sowing

    Temperature
    18–30 °C
    Rain
    No rain
    Wind
    up to 22 km/h, gusts 44from SW
    Cloud cover
    0% cloud

  5. Flight 5

    Day 186 after early sowing

    Temperature
    22–31 °C
    Rain
    No rain
    Wind
    up to 16 km/h, gusts 31from SSW
    Cloud cover
    17% cloud

What the flights measured

Mean NDVI of the 9 plots at each nitrogen level, per flight. Fertilised plots (10 and 20 g/m²) reached about 0.8 in mid-April and stayed close to each other; unfertilised plots stayed clearly lower. By mid-June every plot had ripened to about 0.1, the late block after a much shorter season.

Early sowing
NDVI by nitrogen level, 2025 season: Early sowing0.00.20.40.60.81.04080120160200Days after sowing0 g20 g10 g
Late sowing
NDVI by nitrogen level, 2025 season: Late sowing0.00.20.40.60.81.04080120160200Days after sowing10 g20 g0 g
Show the numbers
NDVI by nitrogen level, 2025 season
FlightBlockDays after sowing0 g/m² N10 g/m² N20 g/m² N
Apr 15, 2025Early sowing1240.580.840.83
Apr 15, 2025Late sowing460.370.680.64
Apr 18, 2025Early sowing1270.550.810.80
Apr 18, 2025Late sowing490.350.640.62
May 7, 2025Early sowing1460.350.640.63
May 7, 2025Late sowing680.360.560.56
Jun 4, 2025Early sowing1740.290.240.25
Jun 4, 2025Late sowing960.310.520.44
Jun 16, 2025Early sowing1860.160.100.10
Jun 16, 2025Late sowing1080.080.150.11

From flight to map

Each flight's images are stitched into a mosaic and corrected; thermal images and an elevation model come from the same flights.

Raw multispectral mosaic of the field.

Raw multispectral mosaic of the field

Second Data Collection: the 2026 Season

Seven flights with a DJI Mavic 3M multispectral drone at 50 m over the same 54-plot design, from late winter to harvest.

Early block sown:
December 26, 2025
Late block sown:
March 9, 2026
Flights:
7

  1. Flight 1

    Day 60 after early sowing · Before the late block was sown

    Temperature
    6–18 °C
    Rain
    0.2 mm
    Wind
    up to 13 km/h, gusts 26from SSE
    Cloud cover
    34% cloud

  2. Flight 2

    Day 67 after early sowing · Before the late block was sown

    Temperature
    4–18 °C
    Rain
    No rain
    Wind
    up to 12 km/h, gusts 23from ESE
    Cloud cover
    17% cloud

  3. Flight 3

    Day 77 after early sowing

    Temperature
    10–19 °C
    Rain
    No rain
    Wind
    up to 15 km/h, gusts 29from ENE
    Cloud cover
    20% cloud

  4. Flight 4

    Day 108 after early sowing

    Temperature
    8–20 °C
    Rain
    No rain
    Wind
    up to 16 km/h, gusts 31from NW
    Cloud cover
    6% cloud

  5. Flight 5

    Day 115 after early sowing

    Temperature
    12–21 °C
    Rain
    4.6 mm
    Wind
    up to 13 km/h, gusts 32from SW
    Cloud cover
    27% cloud

  6. Flight 6

    Day 132 after early sowing

    Temperature
    11–24 °C
    Rain
    No rain
    Wind
    up to 15 km/h, gusts 29from W
    Cloud cover
    3% cloud

  7. Flight 7

    Day 186 after early sowing

    Temperature
    23–34 °C
    Rain
    No rain
    Wind
    up to 17 km/h, gusts 36from S
    Cloud cover
    0% cloud

The field from the air, flight by flight

Çukurova's maps of the 54 plots for each 2026 flight. The plot numbers match the trial design; the early block is on the left (0–26), the late block on the right (27–53). The per-plot NDVI values for 2026 will be added once they have been reviewed with Çukurova University.

Red is growing vegetation: the redder the plot, the more vigorous the crop.

Colour infrared map of the 54 plots on February 24, 2026

Early block (plots 0–26): day 60 · late block (27–53): 13 days before sowing

Temperature
6–18 °C
Rain
0.2 mm
Cloud cover
34%

Weather: daily values for the field (36.855° N, 35.348° E) from the Open-Meteo historical archive (ERA5 reanalysis, CC BY 4.0). Wind at 10 m.

Reports

  • ACTIVITY REPORT CUKUROVA UNIVERSITY PDF