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2025 Vol.70, Issue 4

Original Research Article

Study on the Comparison of Rice Growth Rates Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Imagery and Their Correlation with Yield

드론 영상 기반 벼 계통별 생육속도 비교 및 생산량과의 상관관계 연구

Yunjeong Jeong1
,
Ji-hyeong Lee2
,
Do-hyun Kim3
,
Jeonghwan Seo4
,
Sungyul Chang5*
정 윤정1
,
이 지현2
,
김 도현3
,
서 정환4
,
장 성율5*
1Professional Researcher, Crop Production and Physiology Research Division, National Institute of Crop and Food Science, Rural Development Administration, RDA, Wanju 55365, Korea
2Junior Scientist, Allium Vegetable Research Center, National Institute of Horticultural and Herbal Science, Rural Development Administration, Muan 58545, Korea
3Private Expert, Crop Production and Physiology Research Division, National Institute of Crop and Food Science, Rural Development Administration, RDA, Wanju 55365, Korea
4Junior Scientist, Crop Breeding Division, National Institute of Crop and Food Science, Rural Development Administration, RDA, Wanju 55365, Korea
5Junior Scientist, Crop Production and Physiology Research Division, National Institute of Crop and Food Science, Rural Development Administration, RDA, Wanju 55365, Korea
1농촌진흥청 국립식량과학원 재배생리과 전문연구원
2농촌진흥청 국립원예특작과학원 파속채소연구센터 농업연구사
3농촌진흥청 국립식량과학원 재배생리과 민간전문가
4농촌진흥청 국립식량과학원 품종개발과 농업연구사
5농촌진흥청 국립식량과학원 재배생리과 농업연구사
*Corresponding Author
1 December 2025. pp. 187-192
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Abstract

Rice is a staple food for approximately half of the global population and accounts for about 46% of total cultivated land in South Korea. In recent years, climate change and rural aging have increasingly limited labor-based crop management, driving demand for scientific and efficient crop monitoring technologies. In this study, we utilized Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)-based Digital Surface Models (DSM) to calculate the absolute growth rate (AGR) of rice and classified 70 accessions into two groups based on AGR differences before and after the reproductive stage. We then analyzed the relationship between growth characteristics and yield components between the groups. The results showed that Group B, which exhibited continued growth in the late reproductive stage, had significantly higher AGR and yield than Group A. AGR during the reproductive stage was significantly and positively correlated with yield and grains per panicle. Most previous studies have either compared manually measured growth traits with yield, estimated vegetation indices using UAVs, or focused on plant height at a single time point. Thus, studies analyzing time-series growth rates or linking growth patterns with yield components remain limited. In particular, few studies have quantitatively compared productivity by grouping accessions based on growth responses across phenological stages. This study demonstrates the potential of UAV-derived DSMs as a tool for time-series growth monitoring and productivity assessment in rice. Although conducted in a single region with 70 accessions, this approach has strong potential for broader application across diverse environments and genetic resources.

Keywords
rice
unmanned aerial vehicle
digital surface model
absolute growth rate
yield
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Information
  • Publisher :The Korean Society of Crop Science
  • Publisher(Ko) :한국작물학회
  • Journal Title :The Korean Journal of Crop Science
  • Journal Title(Ko) :한국작물학회지
  • Volume : 70
  • No :4
  • Pages :187-192
  • Received Date : 2025-08-08
  • Revised Date : 2025-09-15
  • Accepted Date : 2025-09-30
  • DOI :https://doi.org/10.7740/kjcs.2025.70.4.187
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