Applications for Thermal Remote Sensing on a Field Scale using Ground-Based Methods and Agricultural Aircraft

摘要

Infrared thermometry and thermal imaging were evaluated to detect crop water stress and the presence of fire ant (S. richteri Forel) mounds. Infrared temperature sensors were used to obtain leaf temperature readings for cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) in a humid climate. A color thermal imaging camera was installed on agricultural aircraft to obtain data for determination of relative water stress for soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr) and cotton. Granular-matrix sensors were placed at six stations in the cotton field to indicate soil water status for preliminary comparison with leaf temperature data obtained using infrared thermometry. Fire ant mounds were detected by thermal imagery from a bucket truck approx. 15 m above a levee overlooking a field. Differences in temperature over a fully closed soybean canopy were discernable from thermal images. Results of the crop study also indicated good potential for detection of crop vigor tied to soil type differences in cotton. Fire ant mounds were distinguishable from surrounding ground features, and thermal signatures exhibited distinct shape characteristics.