Institut für Pflanzenbau und Bodenkunde
As digitalisation progresses, the use of advanced sensors, such as multi- and hyper-spectral camera systems, is becoming increasingly important. These enable non-invasive data acquisition across different growth stages. In order to study the adaptability of plants to climatic changes, especially drought, as well as the nitrogen status and nutrient efficiency, detailed information on growth and development processes, nutrient uptake and the health status of the plants are recorded. In addition, the influence of various stress factors, such as water shortage, on yield formation is investigated. The integration of these sensors in remote-controlled platforms such as drones ensures a high spatial and temporal resolution. These technologies are used in combination with ground-based sensors, and the field trials are surveyed at regular intervals, in parallel with the field measurements and sampling, in order to build up long-term databases and develop crop-specific calibration models. In addition, data analysis methods such as machine learning will be used to identify complex patterns in the collected data. As a result, on the one hand, digital scoring will be made possible, thus significantly reducing the amount of work involved in field trials. On the other hand, the information gained will be used to quantify the impact of changing climatic conditions on yield development and to optimise the use of resources in crop production.
Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture
