ASSESSMENT FOR THE EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT DOSES OF SOLID AND LIQUID ANIMAL MANURE APPLICATIONS ON WHEAT GROWTH BY VEGETATION INDICES

Abstract

In this study, the effects of fresh and aged solid and liquid animal manure applied at different doses on plant growth were investigated using the vegetation indices derived from the images obtained from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). For this purpose, the fresh weight of wheat plants were determined during the grain filling period for each of the treatment. In addition, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Normalized Difference Red Edge Index (NDRE) and Red Edge Chlorophyll Index (CIRE) and the Soil-Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI) derived from the UAV images were calculated for the different treatments. The study was carried out in the research and application fields of the Agricultural Faculty in Harran University Osmanbey campus. The images were taken with an UAV mounted a camera capable of recording reflection in the red (R-660 nm), green (G-550 nm), near infrared (NIR-790 nm) and red edge (RedEdge-735 nm) spectrum. The results showed that the plant fresh weight and all vegetation indices increased significantly with the increase in application doses. The fresh plant weight in low doses was similar to the control plots where neither manure nor a fertilizer applied. However, average plant index values at low doses were higher than the plant index values of the control plot. The most reliable result (R2= 0.70 and P<0.01) in the estimation of wheat wet weight at grain filling period was obtained with the regression model obtained using NDVI values. The fresh weight of wheat plants in this period could be estimated with 70% accuracy using a quadratic polynomial equation. The results showed that plant growth can be monitored and yield estimation can be successfully carried out using an UAVs with low altitude flight capability and high resolution camera.