Our economies and our ecosystems rely heavily on trees. This means that the health of our planet depends on the health of our forests. Yet now, more than ever before, many trees are sick and dying because of pests and the diseases they cause, and worryingly, plantation forests are even more at risk than natural forests. In fact, 110 million ha of plantation forests globally are currently under threat as a result of invasive pests such as the Sirex woodwasp (Sirex noctilo), which targets pine trees specifically.
August 2, 2016
In a first for precision agriculture, University of Pretoria (UP) researchers, in association with collaborators from the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), have produced maps of smallholder farms in Gauteng that highlight maize plants in green and weeds in red. The maps were shared with farmers to enable them to pinpoint and eradicate weeds with more precision.
Farmers not only save time and money by cutting down the cost and effort required to manage weeds, but also limit the environmental impact of using harmful weed-killing chemicals by using satellite data and imagery.
This classification map shows the different types of plants in a crop field in various areas in Gauteng. The legend shows red for weeds, green for maize and yellow for mixed growth areas.
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