Research into accurately estimating total biomass of standing cover crops from a moving tractor may eventually spawn new ways for no-tillers to save money on planting rates and herbicide use in row crops. 

North Carolina State University Extension weed specialist Ramon Leon says a study of “structure-from-motion” involving researchers from NCSU, Iowa State University, Texas A&M and the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service has shown accurate assessments of cereal rye cover crop stands can be made using inexpensive GoPro cameras and sophisticated computer analysis.

Cereal rye was used in the multi-year study, begun in 2021, because it is widely used across the U.S. and can suppress more than 90% of weeds under ideal conditions, primarily by creating a thick mulch. The study involved 5 fields at a research farm near Goldsboro, N.C. where cereal rye growth had shown significant variability over the years. The cover was planted in January 2023 with a drill, then terminated in 4 moths later with glyphosate and a roller crimper.

Structure-from-motion (SfM) is the photogrammetric process of estimating the 3-dimensional structure of a scene from a set of 2-dimensional images. The 3D images are analyzed with computer algorithms and produce a synthetic visual estimate of total biomass in the scene.

Leon says the NRCS-funded study involved hand-held GoPro cameras walked through standing cover crops with resulting images analyzed by NCSU’s super computers. The results were used to accurately estimate the effectiveness of cover crops as agents of weed suppression. 

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