Using Optical Sensors to Identify Water Deprivation, Nitrogen Shortage, Weed Presence and Fungal Infection in Wheat

Gerassimos G. Peteinatos, Audun Korsaeth, Therese W. Berge and Roland Gerhards
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Gerassimos G. Peteinatos: Institute of Phytomedicine, University Hohenheim, Otto-Sander-Straße 5, Stuttgart 70599, Germany
Audun Korsaeth: Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO), P.O. Box 115, N-1431 Ås, Norway
Therese W. Berge: Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO), P.O. Box 115, N-1431 Ås, Norway
Roland Gerhards: Institute of Phytomedicine, University Hohenheim, Otto-Sander-Straße 5, Stuttgart 70599, Germany

Agriculture, 2016, vol. 6, issue 2, 1-21

Abstract: The success of precision agriculture relies largely on our ability to identify how the plants’ growth limiting factors vary in time and space. In the field, several stress factors may occur simultaneously, and it is thus crucial to be able to identify the key limitation, in order to decide upon the correct contra-action, e.g., herbicide application. We performed a pot experiment, in which spring wheat was exposed to water shortage, nitrogen deficiency, weed competition ( Sinapis alba L.) and fungal infection ( Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici ) in a complete, factorial design. A range of sensor measurements were taken every third day from the two-leaf stage until booting of the wheat (BBCH 12 to 40). Already during the first 10 days after stress induction (DAS), both fluorescence measurements and spectral vegetation indices were able to differentiate between non-stressed and stressed wheat plants exposed to water shortage, weed competition or fungal infection. This meant that water shortage and fungal infection could be detected prior to visible symptoms. Nitrogen shortage was detected on the 11–20 DAS. Differentiation of more than one stress factors with the same index was difficult.

Keywords: fluorescence; multi-stress; precision agriculture; site-specific crop management; spectral indices; stress symptoms (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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