The awareness of spatial and temporal variations in site-specific crop parameters, such as aboveground biomass (total dry weight: (TDW), plant length (PL) and leaf area index (LAI), help in formulating appropriate management decisions. However, conventional monitoring methods rely on time-consuming manual field operations. In this study, the feasibility of using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-based remote sensing approach for monitoring growth in rice was evaluated using a digital surface model (DSM). Approximately 160 images of paddy fields were captured during each UAV survey campaign over two vegetation seasons. The canopy surface model (CSM) was developed based on the differences observed between each DSM and the first DSM after transplanting. Mean canopy height (CH) was used as a variable for the estimation models of LAI and TDW. The mean CSM of the mesh covering several hills was sufficient to explain the PL (R2 = 0.947). TDW and LAI prediction accuracy of the model were high (relative RMSE of 20.8% and 28.7%, and RMSE of 0.76 m2 m−2 and 141.4 g m−2, respectively) in the rice varieties studied (R2 = 0.937 (Basmati370), 0.837 (Nipponbare and IR64) for TDW, and 0.894 (Basmati370), 0.866 (Nipponbare and IR64) for LAI). The results of this study support the assertion of the benefits of DSM-derived CH for predicting biomass development. In addition, LAI and TDW could be estimated temporally and spatially using the UAV-based CSM, which is not easily affected by weather conditions.
Spatio-Temporal Estimation of Biomass Growth in Rice Using Canopy Surface Model from Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Images