Photogrammetry with unmanned aerial vehicles for the structural characterization of maize (Zea mays L.) in the humid tropic
Keywords:
Fotogrametría, agricultura de precisión, maíz, altura de planta, modelos digitalesAbstract
The use of unmanned aerial vehicles has become a key tool for high-precision agricultural monitoring. In this study, digital photogrammetry techniques using a drone were applied to estimate plant height in maize (Zea mays L.) under tropical conditions in Tabasco, Mexico. Flight missions were conducted at an altitude of 100 m, with a speed of 3.5 m s-1 and a shooting interval of 2 s, achieving 95 % frontal overlap. The images were processed using Structure from Motion and multi-view stereo algorithms to generate the dense point cloud, digital surface model, digital terrain model, and georeferenced orthomosaic. Plant height was obtained by altimetric differencing, with mean values of 2.68 m, consistent with the physiological range of maize in humid tropical environments. Spatial variability reflected soil heterogeneity and agronomic management. Higher values (> 3.5 m) were attributed to artifacts. Validation showed an R2 of 0.96 and an RMSE of 0.205 m, confirming its accuracy.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Sergio Salgado-Velázquez, Fabiola Olvera-Rincón, Sabel Barrón-Freyre, Dante Sumano-López, Pablo Ulises Hernández-Lara, David Julián Palma-Cancino, Samuel Córdova-Sánchez
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