INTEGRATED CORN CULTIVATION TECHNOLOGY BASED ON MORPHOLOGY, DRONE IMAGING, AND PARTICIPATORY PLANT BREEDING

Abstract

The evaluation of a cultivation technology would be more efficient when the technology assessment is based on various approaches like conventional morphological approaches, the use of drone’s normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) imaging, and participatory plant breeding (PPB). The recent study aimed to assess the effectiveness of the combination of morphological approaches, drone imaging, and participatory plant breeding in selecting the best corn cultivation technology package. This research conducted in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with one factor from March to December 2021 at the Village Taroang, Takalar Regency, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. The factor is 40 cultivation technology packages. The treatments were replicated three times, thus having 120 experimental units. For plant participation, the investigations were conducted with 56 farmers on their corn fields through quantitative surveys in the targeted area. For NDVI, the observation was recorded 70 days after planting using a DJI Inspire two unmanned aerial vehicles equipped with a multi-spectral camera. Based on the results of the study, the combined strategy of different approaches like morpho-physiological, drone’s NDVI, and participatory plant breeding is found effective in evaluating the corn production technology. The yield, plant height, percentage of net yield, and cob weight were good selection criteria for the morphology approach in evaluating corn cultivation. The NDVI could be recommended in helping the morphology evaluation and PPB, especially in a large-scale evaluation. Based on a combined assessment of the different approaches, the maize cultivar Pioneer-27 combined with ‘Legowo’ spacing technology, NPK fertilizer ratio of 200:100:50, KNO3 at the rate of 25 kg, and application of biofertilizer 'Eco farming' @ 5 cc L-1, was recommended as the best corn production technology package in the Village Taroang, Takalar Regency, South Sulawesi, Indonesia.