February 2019 - 21

GIS USAGE IN SOFTWARE
DEVELOPMENT
Sensors and cameras have the capability
to accumulate vast amounts of data and
hundreds of images from a single drone
trip to the field. Without proper software
to organize and decipher the data, it's
relatively useless to growers. Advancement
in that area is ongoing, MacRae said.
" We worked on ways to measure
defoliation using aerial imagery. ...
We realized this isn't the way this is
going to adopted first, " MacRae said.
" We needed to find software that was
going to be much more amenable to
the
growers. We
started
looking
at
geographic information software (GIS).
This is something that is becoming very
commonly available. It's responsible in
auto-steering in tractors. ... We actually
trained the GIS to say 'this is plant
material' and 'this is not.' ... At that point,
a GIS is designed to tell you what kind of
coverage you have in a certain area. "
ON THE HORIZON
MacRae works more with potatoes
than any other crop. His team is
" Drones are going to change the amount of
information you have and help you make decisions,
but they're not going to replace anything. "
- Ian MacRae, University of Minnesota Professor and
Extension Entomologist
looking at ways they can use sensors
to detect PVY and late blight, among
other diseases, using remote sensing
on drones and added that nutrient
measurement is also in the works.
Irrigation and pesticide and herbicide
application might be the biggest areas
of focus in the coming years, however.
" One of the things that's probably
really important in the next couple of
years is spray drift, especially with the
impact that it can have on potatoes and
the carryover of herbicide, " MacRae said.
ANOTHER TOOL
Stakeholders are watching drone
development with a keen eye, but that
isn't translating to investment right
now, MacRae noted. The ROI just isn't
there yet.
" There is still a lot of technology that
needs to be improved, " he said. " When
I talk to stakeholders, they're interested
in the data, but they're not interested
in being the one to acquire the data.
Consequently, I think we'll see adoption
coming from service models.
" That's the thing to keep in mind -
drones are going to change the amount
of information you have and help
you make decisions, but they're not
going to replace anything, " MacRae
added. " It's just going to be another
data source. "
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MINITUBERS CONTACT Matt.Barrow@CSSfarms.com | 719-676-2791
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Spudman * February 2019
21
February 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of February 2019
