Cover Crop Nutrient and Biomass Assessment System Using Portable Hyperspectral Camera and Laser Distance Sensor

Abstract

This study evaluated the potential of portable spectral camera techniques for measuring cover crop chemical composition in different growth stages. A height measurement system was also developed using a laser distance sensor to predict cover crop biomass. PLS (Partial Least Squares) regression was used to evaluate the relationship between cover crop nutrient content and spectral data. The study revealed that a partial cross-sectional area of canopy had a slightly higher correlation with the cover crop biomass than that of the canopy height. High correlations were observed between the predicted and observed accumulation of N (R² = 0.8698), Ca (R² = 0.8512), Mg (R² = 0.8415) and K (R² = 0.9451). This method can be used to obtain information on cover crop nutrient accumulation without disturbing cover crop growth.