A camera used to record skydivers could be a practical tool to monitor tree seedlings’ growth. That is according to new research published by the University of Alberta, which reveals that a GoPro can monitor seedlings as reliably as humans.
“This shows that the GoPro may be a viable alternative to manual measurements, which could provide several benefits to low-tech greenhouses serving the forestry industry,” according to Sarun Khadka, who conducted the work as part of a master of science in forest biology and management from the University of Alberta’s Faculty of Agricultural, Life & Environmental Sciences.
Using the camera’s time-lapse mode, Khadka monitored lodgepole pine seedlings’ germination, growth and survival in a commercial tree nursery. The images were captured over six months before being analysed using software.
Wood Central understands that results showed that the germination count from the GoPro in week seven of the growing cycle closely matched the final seedling count recorded in week 24, “indicating the reliability of the image-based counts,” Khadka notes. Similarly, Khadka found no significant difference in height when 15-week-old seedlings were measured using the camera images, compared with manual measurements.
“Our results show that this technology can bring the value of big data, in terms of capturing a large volume of images that can be analyzed, to improve efficiency in low-tech nurseries.“
Sarun Khadka, on the value of GoPro cameras to caputre large volumes of images in low-tech nurseries.
The study demonstrates how such “high-throughput” technology can help address challenges in low-tech, large-scale greenhouse operations faced with manual counting and measurements: “Taking manual measurements is highly tedious and time-consuming, and as a result, nurseries often rely on a small sample size to estimate germination rates, which could fail to accurately represent the entire seed lot,” she said, before adding that manually measuring the height is invasive to the tender plants, and tight bench space also makes it physically difficult.
And whilst buying the equipment and training staff comes with one-time costs, using the technology would be less expensive than installing a greenhouse-wide camera system: “Using GoPro technology could give commercial greenhouses and the forest industry a jump on providing the best estimates of plant performance in the early stages of growth,” Khadka said, noting that constant monitoring and tracking of the entire greenhouse is essential for a nursery working to meet the total seedling order for a forest company.
“Our results show that this technology can bring the value of big data, in terms of capturing a large volume of images that can be analysed, to improve efficiency in low-tech nurseries.”
- Please Note: The research was funded through the Industrial Research Chair in Tree Improvement held by Barb R. Thomas, professor and associate dean (research) in ALES, and supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Alberta-Pacific Forest Industries Inc., ANC Timber Ltd., West Fraser Mills Ltd. (Sundre Forest Products, Hinton Wood Products, Blue Ridge Lumber and Slave Lake Veneer), the Grande Prairie and Whitecourt divisions of Canfor Ltd., and Weyerhaeuser Company (Grande Prairie and Pembina Timberlands).
