Corn Sensor Development for By-plant Management

Abstract

Corn grain yield prediction and by-plant nutrient management have become a major research topic. This research was conducted to develop a sensor to improve by-plant management by detecting plant location and measuring corn plant diameter. The studies were conducted in Oklahoma and Obregon, Mexico, during summer 2011 and spring 2012. A push cart was used to mount photoelectric sensors and an optical encoder. Data was analyzed with algorithms to detect plant location and stalk diameter. Results for both years showed similar results. The system provided better results for plants in V12 than V8 when measuring stalk diameter. Location prediction was as high as 82% for V8, and 40% for VT. Decrease on the performance was due to leaves or plant residue detected by the sensor.