Drones are being used to study wheat varieties in order to help breeders identify resilient strains that can survive in drought-stress conditions.
Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Volcani Institute recently published a study on how different varieties manage water through their stomata — the tiny pores on the leaves that regulate moisture and gas exchange, according to a report shared by Phys.org.
The team used drone flights to monitor wheat experiments at Hebrew University's rain-out shelter and observe the amounts of heat emitted and light reflected from the plants. This was later followed up with field trials to validate their findings.
Machine learning models assisted the researchers in analyzing this data over the period of two growing seasons, the report explained. It helped them identify 16 genetic markers that were linked with improved performance under both optimal and drought conditions.
"Until now, measuring stomatal conductance, the plant's ability to regulate water — was slow and required manual tools," Roy Sadeh, the first author of the study, said, per the report. "This drone-based approach offers a fast and powerful new way to identify drought-tolerant plants, without touching the plants."
The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction has noted that over the last 20 years, the number of droughts recorded has increased by 29%, and now over one-third of the world's child population is exposed to water scarcity, which also impacts their nutritional access. The U.N. has predicted that the global population will increase to 9.6 billion people by 2050, and food production will have to grow by 60% to ensure food security.
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Unfortunately, staple crops like barley, wheat, and corn have seen lower yields due to the influence of the changing climate on production. Wheat output alone has dropped by around 10% due to these effects.
This has led to a variety of research into safeguarding crops and developing more drought-resistant strains to secure global food supplies in the face of higher temperatures, droughts, and extreme weather events.
No-tillage farming methods that improve carbon retention and soil health are gaining popularity, while special light-filtering nanoplastic greenhouses are being employed to reduce water use and protect plants in arid regions.
The report explained that the use of drones has helped them achieve a 28% improvement in water-use estimation. It also stated that this is the first time drone-based stomatal conductance measurements have been used to map genetic markers for wheat crops.
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Lower energy bills 💰 A similar study used drones to measure drought-tolerance in corn crops, proving that aerial observations and machine learning are helping to speed up research projects related to protecting the global food supply.
"Proactive drought management is an ecological and societal imperative. It is also a significant economic opportunity," Niels Annen, German Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, said in a U.N. report.
"Every dollar invested in nature-based solutions not only reduces drought impacts, but can generate benefits of up to $27 — including higher farmer incomes, value chain resilience, and reduced long-term economic costs," Annen added. "We must urgently act to rethink how we value land and relearn how to manage land sustainably."
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