Pineapple plantation information system - application of geo-informatics and unmanned aerial sensing technology for efficient land use management

摘要

Large scale pineapple production faces a multitude of challenges to maintain and improve plant health and productivity. The agronomic performance of a plantation depends on the inter-relationships between biotic and abiotic factors as well as management practices. Several governing factors to ensure long-term farm viability include: arresting excessive depletion of nutrient-rich top soil through erosion, the use of tailor-fit fertilization programs and ultimately, maintenance of soil structure and biology. This paper describes the development of a land use management system for a pineapple plantation in the Philippines, utilizing Unmanned Aerial Sensing (UAS) technology and Geo-Informatics to bring soil erosion to an acceptable limit and to maximizefertilization efficiency. The overall project was divided into three phases. Phase one includes the development of a central Geo-Information System (GIS) to capture data and provide a tool for research use. During phase two, an UAS system was introducedto map the plantation area with up to 10 cm ground resolution. The images provide a wealth of information about crop condition and erosivity of the field. Phase three includes the generation of recommendations and the implementation of these recommendations by research and production teams in the field. The work presented is part of a multi-year project and is ongoing. The presentation focuses on recently available results.