Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 429 IREC Farmers' Newsletter No. 196 — Summer 2016 REMOTE SENSING OF NITROGEN STATUS IN COTTON l  Remote sensing of the nitrogen status of cotton using a low-cost drone equipped with light sensors may provide valuable information for growers in order to develop fertiliser strategies to maximise yield across their farms. l  The CCCI index seems to be a good estimator of nitrogen uptake in cotton at first flower stage. l  Leaf chlorophyll sensitive indexes such as the NDRE and CCCI have potential for predicting yield earlier in the season (first flower) than the most common index employed in agriculture, NDVI. l  The first year results of a study in southern NSW showed that drone-mounted multi-spectral cameras that included the red-edge band were effective tools to monitor the effects of nitrogen management on cotton growth. In-season assessment of nitrogen status for cotton crops is a recommended practice to optimise nitrogen fertiliser management and maximise yield. Carlos Ballester-Lurbe1 , Wendy Quayle1 , James Brinkhoff1 , John Smith2 and John Hornbuckle1 1 Centre for Regional and Rural Futures, Deakin University, Griffith 2 NSW Department of Primary Industries, Yanco Agricultural Institute RESEARCH has shown that light reflectance at specific wavelengths from leaves of stressed plants (e.g. nitrogen deficient plants) differs from that of healthy plants and therefore, its measurement can provide useful information for monitoring crop performance throughout the season. Spectral reflectance measurements can be taken at leaf or canopy level, using ground sensors, or at farm level, using sensors on satellites or drones, to generate images. During the last two years interest in the use of drones for agricultural businesses has increased rapidly. Current advances in drone technology have driven costs down, making this technology more accessible and easier to use for everyone. For instance, drones used in combination with lightweight multi-spectral cameras provide the QUICK TAKE Multi-spectral camera Figure 1. The DJI Inspire 1 drone with a multi-spectral camera attached, collecting images of the experimental site at Whitton.