Azra Hoosen | ah@radioislam.co.za
11 October 2024 | 14:40 CAT
2 min read

In a groundbreaking effort in precision agriculture, Professor Abel Ramoelo and a team from the University of Pretoria (UP) have developed satellite-based maps to help farmers identify and eradicate weeds in their maize fields. This innovation, part of UP’s collaboration with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), highlights the focus on using technology to solve real-world agricultural challenges.

In an interview with Radio Islam, Professor Abel Ramoelo, who is the Director of UP’s Centre for Environmental Studies (CFES), highlighted the significance of this development.

According to a study conducted by Professor Ramoelo and various other co-authors in collaboration with CSIR, the findings depict that weed management in maize farms is a time-specific activity and requires timely detection of weed infestations. The advent of the Sentinel-2 sensor series, with its advanced red-edge bands designed for species-level plant detection, offers a cost-effective way to identify weeds using multispectral data.

This study investigated whether the Sentinel-2 satellite, with its advanced sensors, can distinguish weeds from maize in the early growth stages. The results showed that weeds were accurately detected with 95% precision, highlighting the effectiveness of Sentinel-2 for early weed detection in maize farms.

“These Maps will show where the weeds are then you don’t have to scout around the entire farm, it will highlight the exact problematic areas which will help with reducing time and cost when purchasing chemicals to control weeds,” said Ramoelo.

He mentioned that the technology can easily be applied to crops beyond maize.
“This kind of technology works on all crops. We’re expanding its use to tree crops like avocados and other systems. There you look at disease impacts and so on, but it’s essentially the same technology,” he said.

According to Prof Ramoelo demand for satellite data is surging in South Africa and across the continent, with interest from both researchers and farmers, but he cautions that relying exclusively on European satellite sensors like Sentinel-2 poses risks.

“With our own International South African Space agency, we have an opportunity to develop our own sensors that are tailor-made to address the problems that we face in South Africa. The opportunity is there with the support of the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI),” he added.

Prof Ramoelo emphasised that the next step is to advance the research further. He explained that they can also develop models that provide insights into soil moisture and water usage, which could guide irrigation practices. Additionally, they can create models that indicate where fertiliser is needed and the exact amount required. This approach would result in significant cost and time savings while boosting overall production efficiency.

He expressed optimism with his belief that the future looks bright. “We continue to ensure we analyse the satellite imagery to provide the solution Africa needs. We can essentially develop these models and upscale them,” said Prof Ramoelo.

LISTEN to the full interview with Ml Ibrahim Daya and Professor Abel Ramoelo from the University of Pretoria (UP), here.