Detección del área de invasión del helecho haza Pteridium aquilinum (L.) Kuhn mediante el uso de drones por técnicas de fotometría y propuesta de prevención y corrección en los sectores delimitados con maleza en la zona de Intag “Las Delicias”

Today's agriculture faces several challenges, for example, the increasing proliferation of invasive species in crops. These can deplete entire crops, negatively affecting production and increasing the need for chemical pesticides. In addition, agriculture continues to waste a considerable amount of resources, such as water and agricultural products. Pteridium aquilinum (L.) Kuhn is an invasive species that poses significant challenges in agriculture. Not only does it spread aggressively, but it also possesses allelopathic properties, chemical substances that inhibit the growth of other nearby plants and decrease their productivity, such as Rye grass, which struggles to survive in its presence. Controlling this invasive weed becomes an arduous and costly task for farmers, who often need to resort to a variety of chemicals and strategies to try to keep it at bay. Precision agriculture emerges as an essential resource to address challenges such as the invasive presence of species like Pteridium aquilinum (L.) Kuhn. In this context, drones play a prominent role in providing spraying and remote sensing services using advanced photometric techniques. They can apply herbicides and other crop protection products in a highly selective and precise manner, thus minimizing the exposure of surrounding crops and reducing the need for excessive chemical use. In addition, aerial remote sensing with drones enables early detection of crop problems. A comparative analysis between precision agriculture and conventional agriculture was carried out in order to evaluate their performance and precision, corroborating with the current literature on the subject. The theoretical results obtained so far clearly point to the superiority of precision farming techniques. The key to this achievement lies in the application of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) photometry technique, which has made it possible to accurately determine the area invaded by the fern. According to the data collected in the research, we have observed a significant reduction of 57.51% in the inputs required compared to what would be necessary in conventional agriculture.

• Main Author: Báez Gómez, Andrés Sebastián (author)
• Format: bachelorThesis
• Published: 2023
• Subjects: agricultura de precisión; agricultura sostenible; fotometría; Pteridium aquilinum (L.) Kuhn
• Online Access: https://repositorio.puce.edu.ec/handle/123456789/42802