UAV application for oil palm harvest prediction

Determination of UAV system configuration for oil palm harvest prediction application is an important step in plantation production maximization. The objective of this paper is to demonstrate how UAV systems can be used to produce high-resolution images that can be used to predict crops. The study is divided into two stages: UAV system configuration analysis and digital image processing to predict the crop. The UAV system configuration analysis consists of airframe, propulsion, avionic and ground control station. Airborne systems use a X-8 airframe controlled with Pixhawk avionics, electric motors, and a 20.2 Mega Pixel digital camera. The UAV system is used to produce a high-resolution digital image on a 6-year-old oil palm plantation in Labuhan Batu Utara, North Sumatra. This UAV system produces high-resolution digital image that can be used to calculate the number of plants. The number of plants in this particular area is then used as input to predict the crop. Estimated harvests of 6-year-old oil palm plantations produce an average of 50.5 tons per year per hectare. This result is bigger than the one of palm oil plantation management's estimation company which is 23 tons per year per ha.