Cotton Canopy Height and Boll Mapping with LIDAR

LIDAR scanning was deployed over a 1 ha cotton variety trial at Maricopa, Arizona to evaluate the ability to map cotton canopy height and boll counts post-defoliation. The LIDAR, a SICK LMS400 red laser unit, was tested on a cart platform in July and a tractor platform in November. The experiment consisted of 35 varieties contributed under the Cotton, Inc. Regional Breeders Testing Network. The cotton was grown under drip with two treatments: well-watered and water limited. The ability of LIDAR to accurately map canopy height and boll counts will be reported.