A little over two years ago, what started as a personal interest in flying drones, combined with the innovative and curious mind of someone who loves agriculture, turned into discussions on how drone use would be beneficial for Agronomic Services regional agronomist in helping the growers they serve.
Regional Agronomist Willie Howell who serves Duplin, New Hanover, Onslow, Pender, and Sampson counties began collaborative discussions with Joe Hudyncia, field services manager, Dr. Colleen Hudak- Wise, former division director, and fellow regional agronomists.
Discussion topics that arose started with an awareness of multi- spectral imaging. In other words, could agronomist use the color spectrum to identify issues such as nutritional deficiency, drainage problems, areas of nematode and disease pressure, patterns showing spray application issues and a myriad of other challenges using images from the drone. Another area of discussion was if the agronomist would be able to determine associations between the imagery from the drone combined with the lab results from field sampling.
With research, explanation and justification, the idea came to fruition. Willie was the first regional agronomist to complete the FAA required course and receive certification. The maiden flight took place on July 24, 2023. After that flight, some of the above issues that came up in discussion were quickly answered as a resounding YES!
Since the chlorophyl in plants reflects green light, it shows up well on this type of imagery. Therefore, any areas of the field that lack chlorophyl will be apparent. Yellowing could come from nutrient deficiency, nematode issues, and poor drainage, so the next step is for the grower and agronomist to get to that area of the field to put their eyes on the plants and take appropriate samples such as soil, plant tissue and nematode for submitting to the Agronomic Services lab for testing. This aids in finding problem spots quicker instead of just walking the fields, giving the agronomist the ability to be more efficient.
With image processing software and RTK GPS precision, areas can be geo-referenced for diagnostic testing, determining issue, size and scope, and tracking problem areas if they persist into future crops. Also, the GPS precision allows for site specific corrective actions.
In addition, the aerial view gives the ability to see any patterns that aren’t easily seen from the ground, including where vehicles or tractors have driven or where spray applications have been made. The aerial view also gives the ability to survey areas after disasters to give an idea of the scope of damage.
While more research is being done to answer the correlation question, some of the testing that has been completed since last year is starting to show those results. Due to the amount of time it takes for set up and flight, currently regional agronomists are being selective as to which fields to fly.
Since Willie started flying the drone in mid-2023, another regional agronomist, Brad Thompson in the Sandhills counties, earned his certification. Chris Leek, our regional agronomist in the far west region of North Carolina, is currently studying to become certified. “The potential uses of the drone are almost unlimited,” said Brad. “From being able to identify problem areas in the field to potentially being able to diagnose nutrient deficiencies or toxicities from the drone imagery, this is a really exciting tool to have in the agronomic toolbox.”
— guest post by Agronomic Services division employee Sandra Carpenter Aiello