Study on Biometrics of Selected Coconut Varieties for the Development of a Drone Spraying and Harvesting System for Coconut Palms

Abstract

Background: Coconut palm (Cocos nucifera) is a significant cash crop in the humid tropics of India. The quality, variety and types of coconut palm vary from one place to other. Nowadays, the lack of skilled climbers for tree climbing is a serious problem experienced by coconut farmers. The adoption of drone technology in coconut cultivation is considered to enhance the productivity of coconut. The current study aimed to study the biometrics of different varieties of coconut trees to design and develop a drone-based spraying and harvesting system which suits all types of coconut palms. Methods: The major parameters influencing drone spraying and harvesting design are crop, machine and meteorological parameters. The crop parameters for the palms were measured by using standard techniques. The prominent varieties include West coast tall, Coconut - ALR (CN) 1, Coconut - ALR (CN) 3, Chowghat orange dwarf, Chowghat green dwarf, Malaysian yellow dwarf, East coast tall and Chandra Kalpa were selected. The biometric data were observed from the randomly selected healthy coconut trees. Result: The eight major coconut varieties were selected and their biometric data was observed. It was concluded that the observations aided in deciding the design of the drone components as well as the spraying and harvesting mechanism suitable for coconut palms