Near-infrared cameras affixed to drones can see what University of Idaho Extension educator Jared Gibbons cannot: subtle differences in how much water new cereal varieties use.

“We’re not likely to find a wheat or barley variety that uses half the water the others do,” the Rexburg-based Gibbons said. “We’re looking at really small differences.”

Driven largely by advancements in irrigation technology, “we’re being a lot more efficient with water than we were 10-20 years ago,” he said. “But as you get really efficient, the next efficiency gain might be a really small percentage.”

Continued incremental gains — important given trends such as population growth, urbanization and changing weather patterns — can potentially be driven in part by plant variety, Gibbons said.

UI cereal trials involve many varieties and sites. If one showed a difference at all sites, “then that would be something significant we would want to look at,” he said.

Healthy plants absorb most of the red light that is visible to the human eye for use in photosynthesis and reflect near-infrared light that is not part of the visible spectrum. As plants become stressed due to inadequate water, they absorb some near-infrared light the eye cannot see.

Enter the drones, to which Gibbons and UI Extension colleague Lance Hansen already had access because their office owns them as part of a 4-H technology program. They used a grant to buy the wallet-sized cameras.

The multi-spectral cameras “can show the small, incremental gains we can’t see visually,” Gibbons said.

In June and July, he and Hansen gathered aerial images at least three times each at UI irrigated cereal trial sites at Aberdeen, Idaho Falls and Tetonia. Based on reflection of near-infrared light, the software assigns scores.

Gibbons is reviewing the data for variety-based differences.

If he finds statistically significant differences in water efficiency between varieties, he will discuss them at research field days and document them in a booklet about cereal varieties.

A bigger implication centers on how farmers can use the technology, “and some of that is starting to happen — to have a real-time view of what your crop’s water status is across the field,” he said.

Ideally, varieties, planting sites and irrigation setups could be fine-tuned, Gibbons said. For example, a center pivot’s field-wide efficiency could increase as nozzle output is matched to the plant and where it is growing.

“We might be able to dial that in a little bit,” he said. “The more we can give the plant precisely what it needs in that particular area, rather than over- or under-water in some areas, the better.”

“The field is not going to be uniform,” Gibbons said. “The soil is going to be different and the topographies are going to be different in a field. And as agriculture has gotten bigger, you have bigger areas.”

He has not yet applied the research to dryland wheat and barley trial sites, seeking varieties that are most water-efficient.

Jared Gibbons

Title: University of Idaho Extension educator, Madison County

Age: 40

Education: B.S., Utah State University, 2010; M. Ag., sustainable agriculture and food environment, Sam Houston State University, 2022.

Home: Rexburg, Idaho.

Family: Wife, Jessica Gibbons, two young children.

Hobbies: Playing trombone, reading.