Passive Reflectance Sensing and Digital Image Analysis Allows for Assessing the Biomass and Nitrogen Status of Wheat in Early and Late Tillering Stages

Proximal remote sensing systems depending on spectral reflectance measurements and image analysis can acquire timely information to make real-time management decisions compared to laborious destructive measurements. There is a need to make nitrogen management decisions at early development stages of...

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Main Authors: Salah Elsayed, Gero Barmeier, Urs Schmidhalter
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2018-10-01
Series:Frontiers in Plant Science
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpls.2018.01478/full
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author Salah Elsayed
Gero Barmeier
Urs Schmidhalter
author_facet Salah Elsayed
Gero Barmeier
Urs Schmidhalter
author_sort Salah Elsayed
collection DOAJ
description Proximal remote sensing systems depending on spectral reflectance measurements and image analysis can acquire timely information to make real-time management decisions compared to laborious destructive measurements. There is a need to make nitrogen management decisions at early development stages of cereals when the first top-dressing is made. However, there is insufficient information available about the possibility of detecting differences in the biomass or the nitrogen status of cereals at early development stages and even less comparing its relationship to destructively obtained information. The performance of hyperspectral passive reflectance sensing and digital image analysis was tested in a 2-year study to assess the nitrogen uptake and nitrogen concentration, as well as the biomass fresh and dry weight at early and late tillering stages of wheat from BBCH 19 to 30. Wheat plants were subjected to different levels of nitrogen fertilizer applications and differences in biomass, and the nitrogen status was further created by varying the seeding rate. To analyze the spectral and digital imaging data simple linear regression and partial least squares regression (PLSR) models were used. The green pixel digital analysis, spectral reflectance indices and PLSR of spectral reflectance from 400 to 1000 nm were strongly related to the nitrogen uptake and the biomass fresh and dry weights at individual measurements and for the combined dataset at the early crop development stages. Relationships between green pixels, spectral reflectance indices and PLSR with the biomass and nitrogen status parameters reached coefficients of determination up to 0.95∗∗ through the individual measurements and the combined data set. Reflectance-based spectral sensing compared to digital image analysis allows detecting differences in the biomass and nitrogen status already at early growth stages in the tillering phase. Spectral reflectance indices are probably more robust and can more easily be applied compared to PLSR models. This might pave the way for more informed management decisions and potentially lead to improved nitrogen fertilizer management at early development stages.
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spelling doaj.art-eba9d75cef574582bc06672b1e9e38d42022-12-21T19:30:46ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Plant Science1664-462X2018-10-01910.3389/fpls.2018.01478411719Passive Reflectance Sensing and Digital Image Analysis Allows for Assessing the Biomass and Nitrogen Status of Wheat in Early and Late Tillering StagesSalah ElsayedGero BarmeierUrs SchmidhalterProximal remote sensing systems depending on spectral reflectance measurements and image analysis can acquire timely information to make real-time management decisions compared to laborious destructive measurements. There is a need to make nitrogen management decisions at early development stages of cereals when the first top-dressing is made. However, there is insufficient information available about the possibility of detecting differences in the biomass or the nitrogen status of cereals at early development stages and even less comparing its relationship to destructively obtained information. The performance of hyperspectral passive reflectance sensing and digital image analysis was tested in a 2-year study to assess the nitrogen uptake and nitrogen concentration, as well as the biomass fresh and dry weight at early and late tillering stages of wheat from BBCH 19 to 30. Wheat plants were subjected to different levels of nitrogen fertilizer applications and differences in biomass, and the nitrogen status was further created by varying the seeding rate. To analyze the spectral and digital imaging data simple linear regression and partial least squares regression (PLSR) models were used. The green pixel digital analysis, spectral reflectance indices and PLSR of spectral reflectance from 400 to 1000 nm were strongly related to the nitrogen uptake and the biomass fresh and dry weights at individual measurements and for the combined dataset at the early crop development stages. Relationships between green pixels, spectral reflectance indices and PLSR with the biomass and nitrogen status parameters reached coefficients of determination up to 0.95∗∗ through the individual measurements and the combined data set. Reflectance-based spectral sensing compared to digital image analysis allows detecting differences in the biomass and nitrogen status already at early growth stages in the tillering phase. Spectral reflectance indices are probably more robust and can more easily be applied compared to PLSR models. This might pave the way for more informed management decisions and potentially lead to improved nitrogen fertilizer management at early development stages.https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpls.2018.01478/fulldigital agriculturehigh-throughput sensingimagingnitrogen managementphenomicsprecision phenotyping
spellingShingle Salah Elsayed
Gero Barmeier
Urs Schmidhalter
Passive Reflectance Sensing and Digital Image Analysis Allows for Assessing the Biomass and Nitrogen Status of Wheat in Early and Late Tillering Stages
Frontiers in Plant Science
digital agriculture
high-throughput sensing
imaging
nitrogen management
phenomics
precision phenotyping
title Passive Reflectance Sensing and Digital Image Analysis Allows for Assessing the Biomass and Nitrogen Status of Wheat in Early and Late Tillering Stages
title_full Passive Reflectance Sensing and Digital Image Analysis Allows for Assessing the Biomass and Nitrogen Status of Wheat in Early and Late Tillering Stages
title_fullStr Passive Reflectance Sensing and Digital Image Analysis Allows for Assessing the Biomass and Nitrogen Status of Wheat in Early and Late Tillering Stages
title_full_unstemmed Passive Reflectance Sensing and Digital Image Analysis Allows for Assessing the Biomass and Nitrogen Status of Wheat in Early and Late Tillering Stages
title_short Passive Reflectance Sensing and Digital Image Analysis Allows for Assessing the Biomass and Nitrogen Status of Wheat in Early and Late Tillering Stages
title_sort passive reflectance sensing and digital image analysis allows for assessing the biomass and nitrogen status of wheat in early and late tillering stages
topic digital agriculture
high-throughput sensing
imaging
nitrogen management
phenomics
precision phenotyping
url https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpls.2018.01478/full
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AT gerobarmeier passivereflectancesensinganddigitalimageanalysisallowsforassessingthebiomassandnitrogenstatusofwheatinearlyandlatetilleringstages
AT ursschmidhalter passivereflectancesensinganddigitalimageanalysisallowsforassessingthebiomassandnitrogenstatusofwheatinearlyandlatetilleringstages