2017 ASHS Annual Conference

Recent advancements in unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and sensor technologies have resulted in the use of these and other precision agriculture technologies throughout the agricultural sector. Research was conducted during 2016 and 2017 with a PrecisionHawk Lancaster M4 drone equipped with a high resolution, low distortion 18.4 megapixels camera (RGB). The UAV, high resolution camera and PrecisionMapper software was able to provide precise and accurate assessment of blueberry coverage and topographic features, the distribution of Vaccinium angustifolium Ait. and V. myrtilloides Michx. phenotypes, and also the ability to identify and determine the severity of several weed species. Therefore, results from the study have indicated that these technologies have the potential to significantly improve field assessment for plant and pest related factors. This can be integrated with emerging agrochemical application technologies to significantly reduce agrochemical usage and cost of production and improve overall production system sustainability.