Measuring Solar-Induced Fluorescence from Unmanned Aircraft Systems for Operational Use in Plant Phenotyping and Precision Farming.

Demand for high spatial and temporal resolution measurements has triggered a rapid development of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) for plant phenotyping and precision farming purposes. Similarly, recent progress in low-altitude remote sensing of solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) resulted in several studies aiming at the development of SIF proximal sensing approaches. Although first experimental results are promising, the requirements for reliable and repeatable measurements in agricultural experiments still constrain applicability of these platforms. In this study, we analyze current capabilities and potentials of SIF measuring UAS for operational use. We highlight existing challenges and outline how UAS SIF sensing could be used more frequently and reliably in precision agriculture applications in the near future.