Assessing the Impact of Soil Contamination on Maize Plant Development using UAV-Based Multispectral Indices

Contamination of the environment with toxic substances is a critical issue. Remote sensing data acquisition using small UAVs equipped with multispectral sensors, provides high-resolution data without the need for destructive samples and can detect plant distress before visible symptoms appear. This study examines the impact of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) soil contamination on the development of maize plants using these types of data. The findings of this work highlight the usefulness of UAV-based multispectral analysis in predicting characteristic changes of the plants caused by soil changes, providing valuable information for improving environmental monitoring efficiency.