Background
Cotton, the most important fiber crop in the world, plays a significant role in the economics of many countries. In the crop year 2020/2021,[1] China, India, and the United States ranked as the top three producers of cotton. China ranked second behind Australia in average yield – 1,879 kg per hectare. High yield is not only due to a high mechanization rate but also precise management by cotton farmers. Cotton farmers make many decisions across the growing season – sowing, reseeding, fertilization, growth regulation, pesticide spraying, defoliant application, etc.
In order to improve crop scouting efficiency, reduce chemical usage, and boost yield, cotton farmers in China’s Xinjiang Province are adopting drone technology in both field scouting and chemical application.
The Mission
RGB imagery and NDVI map of 45ha cotton fields
An NDVI map is also used for precise spraying. Based on the NDVI map, Gongxu modified his regular flat-rate application method to variable rate application (VRA) by generating a Mepiquat chloride prescription map in which only the area with over-growth was assigned a spraying rate while the rest were left as non-spray. This prescription map was then downloaded to the DJI Agras T30 drone for execution.
Similarly, in the later growth stage, Gongxu generated a VRA prescription for foliar fertilization to boost the growth of the weaker regions and improve the homogeneity of the field.
Conclusion
The success of new technology adoption interests cotton farmers in the region. Gongxu plans to expand his business to provide precision agriculture services to neighboring farms, scouting cotton fields using P4 Multispectral and offering variable rate application with Agras drones. In his world, “Investment in drone technology clearly improves yield potential and reduces farming costs. By providing services, more farmers can benefit from innovative precision agriculture solutions.”
In order to improve crop scouting efficiency, reduce chemical usage, and boost yield, cotton farmers in China’s Xinjiang Province are adopting drone technology in both field scouting and chemical application.