A NEW crop management tool is being trialled by a start-up software developer could unlock a new level of accuracy for early identification of plant stress, potentially enabling a shift from treatment to prevention.
The new software is the brainchild of two Sydney University PhD students, aeronautical engineer Anastasia Volkova and Malcolm Ramsay, who specialises in chemistry and computer science.
Dubbed FluroSat, it uses multispectral and hyperspectral cameras mounted on drones in combination with satellite imagery to analyse crops.
Ms Volkova said FluroSat has scientifically developed, sophisticated analysis techniques that combine the drone and satellite imagery, which offers a significant improvement on crop analysis tools which utilises standard normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI) maps.
“With NDVI maps, you can see that something is wrong. But we can say something is wrong, what can be done to mitigate it and also what potential yields can be with application of fertiliser,” Ms Volkova said.
“We can say more nitrogen is needed here, or the paddock is waterlogged there, or there are weeds emerging somewhere.
“Currently, you can get maps to that display the relative biomass of crops in the paddock, but then the agronomist has to go into the field and see where where the crop performance is sub-optimal,” Ms Volkova said.
FluroSat is supported through Telstra’s muru-D start up accelerator – with business mentors and financial backing.
It launched it’s first trial today with Australian Cotton Research Institute – who will use the technology at sited in Narrabri, Tamworth, Moree and Gunnedah.
Ms Volkova said FluroSat would develop crop-specific offerings, with the first, cotton, expected to available by the end of the year.
Sydney University’s Plant Breeding Institute will conduct a winter trial of the technology in cereals.
Ms Volkova said FluroSat had identified a market need for increased decision making tools for croppers.
“From the recent industry surveys we know that currently 95 per cent of decisions being made day-to-day on farms are uninformed by data and that 74pc of land in Australia is being managed in a non-optimal way.”
Ms Volkova said data generated by FluroSat analysis is compatible with existing farm management software to manage chemical application, sowing and so on.
Telstra area general manager Mike Marom said the company wants to see its muru-D initiative bring new technology solutions to agriculture and into regional Australia.