Jorge E. Mauricio Ruvalcaba

Prof. Jorge E. Mauricio Ruvalcaba

INIFAP

Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

7Years (2020-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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1 October 2020 in Agriculture
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
MLmagali lopez-Calderon
magali lopez-Calderon
JÁJuan Estrada Ávalos
Juan Estrada Ávalos
VRVictor M. Rodriguez-Moreno
Victor M. Rodriguez-Moreno
JRJorge E. Mauricio Ruvalcaba
Jorge E. Mauricio Ruvalcaba
ASAldo Rafael Martínez Sifuentes
Aldo Rafael Martínez Sifuentes
EMEnrique Miguel-Valle
Enrique Miguel-Valle
Knowing the total Nitrogen content (Nt) of forage maize (Zea mays) is important so that decisions can be made quickly and efficiently to adjust the timing and amount of both irrigation and fertilizer. In 2017 and 2018 during three growing cycles in two study plots, leaf samples were collected and the Dumas method was used to estimate Nt. During the same growing seasons and on the same sampling plots, a Parrot Sequoia camera mounted on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was used to collect high resolution images of forage maize study plots. Thirteen multispectral indices were generated and, from these, a Random Forest (RF) algorithm was used to estimate Nt. RF is a machine-learning technique and is designed to work with extremely large datasets. Overall analysis showed five of the 13 indices as the most important. One of these five, the Transformed Chlorophyll Absorption in Reflectance Index/Optimized Soil-Adjusted Vegetation Index, was found to be the most important for estimation of Nt in forage maize (R2 = 0.76). RF handled the complex dataset in a time-efficient manner and Nt did not differ significantly when compared between traditional methods of evaluating Nt at the canopy level and using UAVs and RF to estimate Nt in forage maize. This result is an opportunity to explore many new research options in precision farming and digital agriculture.