Peach tree canopy assessment through aerial image detection for improved management and sustainability

Simões, M.P.; Veloso, Abel; Assunção, E.; Moreira, E.; Teixeira, M.C.C.; Gaspar, Pedro Dinis

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.11/10181

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Abstract(s)

Precision agriculture aims to detect differences in plant development within adefined area, allowing to adjust production techniques according to the plantdevelopment. Plant development is evaluated by remote detection allowing theapplication of variable rate application techniques. The efficiency of precisionagriculture is correlated with large areas of the same crop where plantsdevelopment is highly correlated with soil characteristics variation. Theapplication of precision agriculture in fruit production is common in the speciesthat allow mechanical harvesting, and, consequently, allows obtaining yieldmaps. Peach production is carried out by manual harvesting and is usuallybased on medium-sized parcels, as the fruit is very perishable and harvestwindow for each cultivar is short, from 10 to 15 days. This paper describes theexperimental tests developed to evaluate the volume of peach tree canopy,based on images captured by a drone, and its correlation with trunk sectionarea, which is a common way of assessing tree vigor. Ten plants per orchardwere monitored in 20 different orchards. The correlation between tree canopyand nutritional status was developed using the orchard as the repeating unit.The results indicate that projected canopy area, evaluated by aerial images, isdirectly correlated with tree canopy volume, in full developed orchards, as treeheight is standardized in every orchard according to the training system. Theremote assessment of the tree canopy allows the adoption of differentiatedtechniques that contribute to better management focused on a greater incometo the farmer and, at the same time, contribute to environmental sustainability.

Keywords

Prunus persica Tree canopy area Trunk sectional area Nutritional status Aerial imaging Image detection and classification

URI

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.11/10181

Citation

SIMÕES, M.P. [et al.] (2025) - Prunus persica; Tree canopy area; Trunk sectional area; Nutritional status; Aerial imaging; Image detection and classification. Acta Horticulturae 1433. DOI: 10.17660/ActaHortic.2025.1433.14