Through a Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG), USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) partners are using 3D imagery to map cover crops and weeds with precision, helping farmers make informed decisions on how to control resistant weeds on their operations.
While cover crops are helping curb weed growth, more tools are needed to support farmer success. NRCS CIG partners, North Carolina State University, Texas A&M University, and Iowa State University are developing technology to help. Using 3D computer imagery, they are mapping cover crops and weeds with precision, helping farmers make informed decisions on how to control the weeds on their operations. This technology can lead to improved herbicide resistance management, reduced herbicide use, better soil health, and improved water quality downstream.
The project, which began in early 2021, uses a hand-held GoPro camera, which takes aerial videos of the cover crops that are then analyzed using a technique called Structure-from-Motion that recreates the cover crop canopy in a 3D format. The use of 3D images provides a more realistic and accurate quantification of density, growth, and biomass of the cover crop than regular 2D images. Once this 3D rendering has been generated, the image gives farmers a map showing cover-crop biomass throughout their fields.
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