INVESTIGATION OF LASER AND ULTRASONIC RANGING SENSORS FOR MEASUREMENTS OF CITRUS CANOPY VOLUME

Abstract

This study compared ultrasonic and laser measurements of citrus canopy volume with manual measurementmethods. Fifteen trees with different canopy heights and volumes were used. Manual and ultrasonic measurements provideddimensions for computing the canopy volume whereas laser measurements gave information that could be used to computea laser canopy volume index. Ultrasonic and laser methods agreed with manual methods (R 2 > 0.85, RMSE < 2.15 m 3 ). Lasershowed better prediction of canopy volume than the ultrasonic system because of the higher resolution. Ultrasonic or lasersensors can be used for automatic mapping and quantification of the canopy volumes of citrus trees.