Estimation of Maize Yield and Protein Content under Different Density and N Rate Conditions Based on UAV Multi-Spectral Images

In the field of precision agriculture research, it is very important to monitor crop growth in time so as to effectively conduct field diagnosis and management and accurately predict yield and quality. In this experiment, the relationship between the vegetation index of Zhengdan 958 and Suyu 41 and their yield and quality when reducing N application (25 and 50% N reduction compared to local conventional N application rate) under low, medium and high planting densities (60,000, 75,000 and 90,000 plants·ha−1) during 2018–2020 was investigated using multispectral images obtained from UAV monitoring. The results showed that under different density treatments, the normalized vegetation index (NDVI) and ratio vegetation index (RVI) decreased with the decrease in nitrogen application, while the plant senescence reflectance index (PSRI) increased. Through principal component analysis (PCA) and subordinate function analysis, the comprehensive score of each treatment can reflect the maize yield and total protein content under each treatment. Based on the vegetation index, predictive models of maize yield and protein content were established. The best prediction period for grain yield and protein content were physiological maturity and 35 days after silking (R4), respectively. The R2 of the predictive models are greater than 0.734 and 0.769, respectively. Multi-period and multi-vegetation indexes can better monitor crop growth and help agricultural field management