Modelling crop productivity, water fluxes and yield in winter wheat from remotely-sensed drone data under differential sulphur, nitrogen and or sugar application.

Abstract

Understanding how crops contribute to carbon, water and nitrogen cycling under different fertiliser regimes will be crucial for improving ecosystem models and predicting future yields. Synthetic fertilisers hugely boost crop yields, but excessive application often leads to negative environmental impacts including increased nitrous oxide emissions (about c. 300x more potent than CO2). To maximise crop yields and optimise fertiliser and water application, rapid retrieval of plant traits and fluxes will be critical. Here, we explore the effectiveness of optical (trait-based) and thermal (flux-based) remotely-sensed data collected from ground-based and drone platforms for quantifying differences in plant physiological performance and overall yield in field-grown wheat under different nitrogen, sulphur and or sugar treatments.Research was undertaken at a winter wheat variable nutrient field trial in North Yorkshire, UK during June, 2021. Across 24 treatment plots (3 plot replicates per treatment), leaf level hyperspectral reflectance data was obtained using a Spectral Evolution PSR+ 3500 Spectroradiometer which was paired with stomatal conductance (gsw) measurements (collected using a LI-COR LI-600 porometer) and photosynthetic capacity (Vcmax) measurements (collected using a Li-6800 portable infra-red gas analyser). Plant thermal images were captured using a handheld FLIR T650-C thermal imaging camera (640x480). Field-assessed leaves were destructively harvested for leaf chlorophyll and nitrogen content analysis. Drone flights were conducted using a DJI Matrice M200 with a MicaSense RedEdge-Mx multispectral imaging sensor (1456 x 1088) and a Parrot Analfi thermal drone (160 x 120) at a 10 m altitude above ground.Results show that plants fertilised with sulphur and nitrogen had the highest or equal-highest leaf chlorophyll values (c. 60-70 µg/cm2), followed by plants that only received nitrogen (c. 40-55 µg/cm2), with unfertilised controls having the lowest chlorophyll values (c. 15-20 µg/cm2). Sugar did not significantly affect leaf chlorophyll values but an interaction was detectable between sugar and fertiliser at the plot level (Two-way ANOVA, p

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