Estimation of Fractional Photosynthetically Active Radiation From a Canopy 3D Model; Case Study: Almond Yield Prediction.

Canopy-intercepted light, or photosynthetically active radiation, is fundamentally crucial for quantifying crop biomass development and yield potential. Fractional photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) (fPAR) is conventionally obtained by measuring the PAR both below and above the canopy using a mobile lightbar platform to predict the potential yield of nut crops. This study proposed a feasible and low-cost method for accurately estimating the canopy fPAR using aerial photogrammetry-based canopy three-dimensional models. We tested up to eight different varieties in three experimental almond orchards, including California's leading variety of 'Nonpareil'. To extract various canopy profile features, such as canopy cover and canopy volume index, we developed a complete data collection and processing pipeline called Virtual Orchard (VO) in Python environment. Canopy fPAR estimated by VO throughout the season was compared against midday canopy fPAR measured by a mobile lightbar platform in midseason, achieving a strong correlation (

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Copyright © 2021 Zhang, Pourreza, Cheung, Zuniga-Ramirez, Lampinen and Shackel.

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The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.