Dimensionamento da área de trigo amassada pelo rodado agrícola via mapeamento com drone

Abstract

The traffic of agricultural machinery over established crops can lead to lodging of plants, directly affecting the productive area of the wheat field. In this context, the present study aimed to quantify the wheat area lodged by machinery wheel tracks, using images captured by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for analysis. The research was conducted in a commercial wheat field of the cultivar Tbio Calibre, with an initial stand of 372 seeds per m2 and a row spacing of 17 cm. A 1hectare plot with undulating topography was selected within the total of 36 cultivated hectares. During the flowering stage of the crop, during the third application of chemical pesticides using the self-propelled sprayer Jan Power Jet 2650, aerial mapping was performed with the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) DJI Phantom 4 PRO. Using the GPS Waypoints application, 24 field points were collected, including geographic coordinates, plant height, and the width of six wheel pass tracks. The images captured by the UAV were processed using Agisoft Metashape software, generating an orthomosaic file. In Google Earth Pro, the lengths of the visible tracks in the file were delineated, and the average width was used to calculate the individual lodged areas. These areas were then summed to obtain the total lodging area and its percentage relative to the studied hectare. The number of wheat plants affected was estimated based on the initial plant density and the total area affected by wheel passes. The methodology developed in this study proved effective for accurately quantifying the area of wheat lost due to lodging caused by agricultural machinery traffic, confirming its applicability under field conditions. The analysis of average track widths showed that the absence of GPS guidance systems during operations led to an approximate 50% increase in lodged area, likely increasing the number of affected plants. The total wheel pass area (TWPA) obtained was 824 m2, corresponding to 8,24% of the hectare being compromised. The number of lodged wheat plants (NWP) was estimated at 247.271 ha−1, primarily during the flowering stage. The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for mapping proved highly efficient, allowing the acquisition of high-resolution aerial images. These results highlight the potential of this technology as an important tool in digital-agriculture, integrating into precision agriculture strategies and contributing to greater operational efficiency in the field.