Integration of Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Data and Process Based Simulation Models to Forecast Crop Growth and Yield

Integration of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Data and Process-Level Simulation Models to Forecast Crop Growth and Yield

Juan Landivar, Jinha Jung, Andrea Maeda, Long Huynh and Murilo Maeda

The integration of UAS with crop growth models can result in improved management tools capable of effectively simulating crop phenology, plant stress and crop yield.  This study uses the cotton simulation model GOSSYM to simulate the growth and yield of an irrigated and non-irrigated cotton field during the 2016 season at Corpus Christi, Texas.  The GOSSYM model uses soils, weather data and cultural practices as inputs. We used temporal plant height and canopy cover measurements from a UAS platform as input to the simulation model in addition to the standard GOSSYM inputs. Results will be presented as the impact of UAS data used as input to the simulation model.