Image Analysis of Agricultural Fields Managed by Natural Farming System that Photographed Using Handmade Aerial Digital Photographing Balloon " Hibari "

RESEARCH REPORTS FROM INSTITUTE FOR AGRO-MICROBIOLOGY, Vol. 14, 2010 p.5-19
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ORIGINAL ARTICLE

1.Image Analysis of Agricultural Fields Managed by Natural Farming System that Photographed Using Handmade Aerial Digital Photographing Balloon " Hibari "

Kotaro Kato1, Hiroyasu Tabuchi1, Tadashi Takeuchi1, Yoshiyuki Nara1, Hideshi Kawarazaki1, Miyuki Manryo1, Shuji Abe2, Kazuto Miyajima2, Chiharu Suzuki2, Katsuhisa Yokota2, and Kaori Yokota2 (1 Division of Scientific Research and 2The School of Nature Farming, Institute for Agro-Microbiology)

Agricultural fields managed by Natural Farming System were photographed using handmade aerial digital photographing balloon " Hibari " . The ratio of crop coverage was calculated by image analysis in analytical areas of fields, and compared with data of soil analysis and crop growth measurement. In analytical areas of sweet potato field indicating high ratio of crop coverage, the contents of available phosphate and exchangeable bases in soils were also high. In analytical areas of Japanese radish continuously cultivating field, the ratio of crop coverage and crop growth parameters were highest in the area applied with cattle manure compost, and following in that with chemical fertilizer, and were lowest in that with grass compost and organically fertilized soil. There were highly positive correlations between the ratio of crop coverage and crop growth parameters in Japanese radish fields.

Keywords: Aerial digital photographing balloon, Image analysis, Natural farming system, Sweet potato, Japanese radish