Code
01W05322
Duration
01 October 2022 → 30 September 2027
Funding
Regional and community funding: Special Research Fund
Promotor
Research disciplines
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Natural sciences
- Remote sensing
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Agricultural and food sciences
- Forest protection
Keywords
Forest health
UAV
Insect pests
Project description
Eucalyptus plantations are essential for the viability of local communities in South Africa. Invasive pests threaten their sustainability. Gonipterus is a leaf-feeding beetle that defoliates eucalyptus trees. Conventional methods for detecting infestation are spatially restrictive. In this project, we explore the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles and time-series Sentinel-2 imagery to detect potential outbreaks of Gonipterus in an early stage.