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82 SEEDWORLD.COM DECEMBER 2015 THE ABILITY TO predict crop yield is a useful tool and scientists continue to find new methods for determining how much a farmer will gather at harvest. One method that plant breed- ers are currently examining is the use of new phenotyping tools technologies that measure the outward appearance of the plant as an indicator of how much it will produce. The factors that go into predicting yield are many so researchers separate out the parts into smaller traits that can bemeasured more easily. One agronomist examines plant health and canopy development in soybeans as well as what can be inferred from different canopy images. Katy Rainey a Purdue University assistant professor of agronomy says that technology helps tremendously with her work. Drones take pictures of the canopy and help to quantify its develop- ment allowing her to quickly measure thousands of plots. When we try to measure crop performance its not easy to measure yield Rainey says. Yield is an endpoint measurement and the information is gathered at harvest. If you want additional informa- tion about how crop development produces yield you can only do it with high-throughput tech- niques. You need to measure many plots quickly. Drones Deliver Drones can measure 2000 to 5000 plots in less than an hour. Through the use of drones new types of data can be collected. Measuring phenotype from a drone is indi- rectly measuring what were after Rainey says. Our first target is what is robust or what can we do no matter what What can we directly measure that is valuable Often hard to predict yield sets the foundation for crop improvement and researchers are deploying new tools that measure phenotype with the hopes of more accurately predicting yield over more acres faster. Elise Brown Deploying Technologies to Predict Yield Anthony Hearst a student in Purdues Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering launches a drone over agronomy plots in West Lafayette Ind. PHOTOTOMCAMPBELLPURDUEUNIVERSITY.