Objective Agricultural production requires the use of herbicides as an essential tool to control weed infestations. Associated environmental and economic concerns have led to the creation of European policy that encourages farmers to optimize their use. These components are part of the agronomical basis of site-specific weed management (SSWM), whose efficient development somehow relies on the use of remote sensing technology for collecting and processing spatial data from sensors mounted in satellite or aerial platforms. Some limitations of this technology have been traditionally attributed to insufficient imagery resolution for mapping weed seedlings in early stages, just when the herbicide application is needed. Nowadays, these problems could be overcame by utilizing the new generation of remote platforms known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), which can operate at low altitudes and, thus, capture images at the spatial resolution needed. This project involves the testing and applications of the UAV technology for effective weed management (or SSWM), mainly accomplished in two different crop systems: 1) Annual crops (i.e. sunflower, maize or tomato) and permanent woody crops (i.e. poplar or olive tree). The specific objectives will concentrate on the evaluation of the specifications (sensor type, imagery characteristics, crop-weed phenological stage) required for each type of crop and on the development of advanced algorithms for crop assessment and weed mapping using the captured remote images. The ultimate objective is to generate geo-referenced weed infestation maps for making in season site-specific herbicide treatments in early weed stages that, consequently, lead to a considerable decrease in the use of herbicide, a reduction in farm costs and an increase in agro-environmental benefits. Further, the potential and opportunities of this technology for other agricultural applications represent a new trend of evident relevance. Fields of science engineering and technologymechanical engineeringvehicle engineeringaerospace engineeringsatellite technologyengineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringremote sensingagricultural sciencesagriculture, forestry, and fisheriesagriculturegrains and oilseedsoilseedsengineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringroboticsautonomous robotsdronesengineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringsensors Programme(s) FP7-PEOPLE - Specific programme "People" implementing the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013) Topic(s) FP7-PEOPLE-2011-CIG - Marie-Curie Action: "Career Integration Grants" Call for proposal FP7-PEOPLE-2011-CIG See other projects for this call Funding Scheme MC-CIG - Support for training and career development of researcher (CIG) Coordinator AGENCIA ESTATAL CONSEJO SUPERIOR DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS Address Calle serrano 117 28006 Madrid Spain See on map Region Comunidad de Madrid Comunidad de Madrid Madrid Activity type Research Organisations Administrative Contact Eusebio Jiménez-Arroyo (Mr.) Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window EU contribution No data
