Universitatea Aurel Vlaicu din Arad, Romania
Drone-Based Crop Monitoring
Universitatea Aurel Vlaicu din Arad leads WP2: Research, Analysis and Evaluation. The university conducts lab determinations (phytohormones, polyphenols, enzyme activities, antioxidant capacity, photosynthetic parameters, chlorophyll content), calibrates remote sensing data with ground truth, and collaborates with Çukurova University to optimize the decision-making system based on field data.
Using multispectral imaging, we capture detailed information about crop health, stress levels, and nutrient status. This data feeds into the project's AI models for generating actionable recommendations for farmers.
Infrastructure Preparation
Equipment and resources deployed for the UAV study.
UAV Platform
DJI Phantom 4 Multispectral drone equipped with 5-band multispectral camera for vegetation analysis.
Ground Control Points
High-precision GCPs placed across experimental plots for accurate georeferencing.
Weather Station
On-site weather monitoring for recording environmental conditions during flights.
Processing Workstation
High-performance computing resources for orthomosaic generation and AI model training.
Experiment Design
Key variables analyzed through UAV-based multispectral imaging.
Temperature Monitoring
Thermal imaging to detect plant stress and water status variations across plots.
- Canopy temperature mapping
- Stress detection algorithms
- Thermal anomaly identification
Nitrogen Response
Analysis of crop response to different nitrogen application rates using NDVI and other indices.
- NDVI calculation
- Chlorophyll estimation
- Nitrogen uptake modeling
Water Stress Detection
Identification of irrigation needs through multispectral analysis of crop water status.
- CWSI calculation
- Soil moisture correlation
- Irrigation recommendations
Lab Integration
Ground-truth data collection and laboratory analysis to validate remote sensing measurements.
- Phytohormones and polyphenols analysis (biological evidence)
- Enzyme activities measurement
- Antioxidant capacity testing
- Photosynthetic parameters and chlorophyll content for Software 2 decision logic
Limitations
Challenges and constraints encountered during the UAV study.
Weather Dependencies
Drone flights restricted during windy conditions (>8 m/s) and precipitation events.
Regulatory Constraints
Flight operations limited by local aviation regulations and airspace restrictions.
Data Volume
High-resolution multispectral imagery generates large datasets requiring significant storage.
Temporal Resolution
Cloud cover and weather windows limit flight frequency during critical growth stages.
Explore Related Studies
Learn about our experimental field trials conducted at Çukurova University.