Drones and Corn: A New Way to Combat Flood Damage

Floods can be tough on crops. For farmers in the Midwest, it's often a battle. Between 2014 and 2023, more money was paid out for flood damage than for drought in six out of ten years. So, what's the deal with these floods? They tend to make fields soggy, and that can be a big problem for plants trying to grow. Understanding how plants deal with all this water can be tricky since often the fields are under water, making it hard to study them.

With climate change, these floods might become even more frequent. Researchers have been looking for ways to study the effects of Flooding on corn, or maize, without getting their feet wet-literally. Enter drones! These flying devices can capture detailed images of crops from above, helping scientists figure out how well different types of corn handle too much water.

#The Problems of Excess Water

When fields get waterlogged, it can hurt the Roots of the plants. In corn, this can lead to problems like poor root growth or even root death. When corn plants experience too much water, they can struggle to absorb nutrients, which means they don't grow as tall or as strong. If the roots can't breathe-thanks to all that water-they start to die off.

In a study, researchers found that keeping corn under controlled flooding for five days led to root death rates as high as 100%. That's like sending your corn plants on a one-way trip to plant heaven! Every year, floods can hurt yields and leave farmers counting their losses in the billions.

Flooding doesn't just affect the roots; it can also lead to lodging. This is where plants fall over. Sometimes they bend, and sometimes they break. Corn plants can lean over more than 15% from standing straight up, and that’s called root lodging. This tends to happen after storms before the plants have had a chance to strengthen their roots. If the plants fall over, they can struggle to "get back up" and grow properly, which means less corn for farmers.

#Aerial Imaging: Flying to the Rescue

Researchers have been using drones to gather information about corn crops, especially during flooding. Drones can fly over fields and take pictures without the need for humans to wade through muddy waters. Unlike satellites, drones can capture better images, giving scientists a closer look at the plants.

With these images, scientists can figure out how the corn plants are doing in both flooded and non-flooded fields. Drones can help measure things like plant height and how well the plants are growing. Plus, using drones reduces the risk of accidents during flooding, making it safer for everyone involved.

#Research Setup

In a recent study, researchers conducted two experiments using the same types of corn plants in different years and locations. One field in Missouri was flooded, while another one had clear skies. Both fields had the same types of corn plants so that scientists could compare how they fared under different conditions.

The flooded field was completely submerged for about 24 hours before the water started to recede. Before the flood, the corn was in good shape, but the water covered the plants, and things would soon get messy.

#Collecting Data with Drones

Throughout the growing season, the researchers used drones to capture weekly images of the corn fields. Their aim was to monitor how the plants were doing, both before and after the flooding event. With a special camera, they could gather data and create images that outlined the health of the corn plants over time.

After the flood, the corn plants looked like they had been through a tough fight. The muddy water left a mess, and many plants showed signs of damage. The researchers noticed a significant drop in the number of plants standing upright after the flood. They had to deal with the aftermath of muddy fields and fallen plants, but they were determined to see how the corn would recover.

#The Impact of Flooding on Corn Growth

After analyzing all the data, the researchers found some striking results. In the flooded field, NDVI (a way to measure how healthy a plant is based on the light it reflects) values dropped significantly post-flood. Healthy plants reflect more light and have higher NDVI values, while struggling plants reflect less.

Before the flood, the corn plants had high NDVI values compared to the non-flooded field. But after the flooding, the values took a nosedive. In contrast, the non-flooded corn continued to grow normally. The differences in NDVI values between the two fields were striking.

By 26 days after the flood, while the non-flooded field was thriving, the flooded field still struggled to recover fully. The researchers saw clusters of plants that were either bouncing back or still in dire trouble.

#Why Some Plants Did Better

Despite the havoc wreaked by the flood, there were a few resilient corn Hybrids that managed to hold their ground. Some of these plants even showed an increase in NDVI values after the flood. Researchers noticed that these plants had higher stand counts, meaning more plants remained standing strong.

As the researchers dug deeper, they found that the plants that were less affected by lodging tended to perform better. They also discovered genetic differences that could help identify corn hybrids that might be more resilient to flooding in the future.

#The Genetic Mystery

Using their findings, the researchers set out to learn more about the genetic factors that made some corn hybrids more successful in flood conditions. They conducted what’s called a Genome Wide Association Study (GWAS) to find out which genes were linked to better flood tolerance.

One interesting finding was a specific genetic marker on chromosome 3 that seemed to be associated with corn health after flooding. This gene was thought to play a role in how plants respond to stress, which could be crucial for growing flood-resistant corn in the future.

#Conclusion

In the end, the study highlighted the utility of drones in understanding how flooding affects corn. Using drones not only made data collection safer but also provided crucial insights into crop resilience.

With rising floods due to climate change, having this information could be a game-changer for farmers. They could potentially choose corn hybrids that are better equipped to deal with excess water, helping them maintain yields and protect their livelihoods.

So next time you see a cornfield, think about the battles it faces-floods, lodging, and the quest for survival. And remember, while plants might not be great at swimming, they sure can bounce back with a little help from technology and genetics!