Drones with advanced sensors enable precision agriculture at UVA research farm

Researchers from UVA, NASA, and the University at Buffalo tested drones equipped with heat and light sensors over crops at Morven Sustainability Lab. The drones measure plant stress, temperature, and photosynthesis at high resolution. This information could help farmers detect drought, insects, or diseases earlier and over larger areas.

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The five-day flight campaign at Morven paired aerial drone readings with ground-level surveys. Student teams walked the fields cataloging plant species while handheld STELLA devices—a $200 instrument developed jointly by UVA and NASA over seven years—captured complementary data. This dual approach created