Multispectral UAV-Based Monitoring of Behavior of Different Wheat and Barley Varieties

Multispectral (MS) remote sensing is a powerful tool for crops monitoring in precision agriculture framework. Due to the high accuracy level requested in this application, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are the most suitable choice for MS surveys. UAVs allow monitoring crops obtaining data in very high resolution and the possibility to have daily-based surveys. Cereals are the most widely cultivated species in the Mediterranean basin, supporting food chains for bread and pasta as well as livestock production. In these agroecosystems, the development of precision farming techniques is essential to make production more efficient and sustainable, also in order to secure supplies despite volatile food commodity prices characteristic of this post-Covid19 period. The main object of this study was monitoring the behavior of several different wheat and barley varieties, taking into account their spectral aspects and in situ measurements of grain yields. For this purpose, a field experiment, laid out as a randomized block design with three replications for wheat and four for barley, was conducted in San Marco Argentano (CS, Calabria - Italy). In particular, the spectral response of thirty wheat and nineteen barley varieties was compared during different stages of plant growth. UAV surveys were conducted by DJI Phantom 4 Multispectral equipped with a MS sensor, obtaining vigor maps. Several vegetation indices (VIs) were tested to monitor differences between varieties.