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Plant Science Today (PST)

Research Articles

Vol. 13 No. sp2 (2026): Recent Advances in Agriculture

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) based image capturing of iron chlorosis in sugarcane crop and digital image processing

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.13886
Submitted
29 January 2026
Published
31-05-2026

Abstract

Agricultural productivity must increase to meet global food demand while conserving natural resources. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) offer a rapid and non-destructive approach for crop monitoring. In this study, UAV-based imaging was used to capture sugarcane (variety Co 86032) under healthy and iron-deficient conditions. Images were pre-processed and analysed using RGB, HSV, YCbCr, and L*a*b* colour spaces. Quantitative colour parameters were extracted and compared between healthy and iron-deficient leaves. Iron-deficient leaves showed higher brightness and yellow tonal components (e.g., R values increased from ~145 ± 12 to 198 ± 15, and L* values from 50-70 to 70-90). The results demonstrate that UAV-acquired imagery combined with digital colour analysis can effectively differentiate iron chlorosis in sugarcane under field conditions.

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