A measurement system based on lidar technology to characterize the canopy of sugarcane plants

Abstract

Laser sensor applications associated with LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) technology on platforms allow the evaluation of crop and forest biomass in a non-invasive way. This study presents the development of a measurement system based on LiDAR technology aimed at the proposed assessment of the height of sugarcane plants during the pre-harvest period. A laser sensor, a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receiver, and an inertial unit compose the measurement system. The equipment was integrated with a computer for data acquisition and installed on an agricultural tractor platform. The GNSS receiver with a real-time kinematic signal was synchronized to the laser sensor to obtain the point cloud and to the inertial unit to evaluate the intensity of the vibration from platform oscillation. Data acquisition was carried about 10 days before sugarcane harvest. The developed steps of acquisition and data processing enabled the generation of point clouds with a density of about 2,000 points m-2 and the extraction of metrics related to the height of sugarcane plants. The influence of vibration in the dataset was more significant in one of the experimental fields due the high-amplitude spectral power observed.