Cumulative temporal vegetation indices from unoccupied aerial systems allow maize (Zea mays L.) hybrid yield to be estimated across environments with fewer flights

Unoccupied aerial systems (UAS) based high throughput phenotyping studies require further investigation to combine different environments and planting times into one model. Here 100 elite breeding hybrids of maize (Zea mays L.) were evaluated in two environment trials–one with optimal planting and irrigation (IHOT), and one dryland with delayed planting (DHOT). RGB (Red-Green-Blue) based canopy height measurement (CHM) and vegetation indices (VIs) were estimated from a UAS platform. Time series and cumulative VIs, by both summation (ΣVI-SUMs) and area under the curve (ΣVI-AUCs), were fit via machine learning regression modeling (random forest, linear, ridge, lasso, elastic net regressions) to estimate grain yield. VIs were more valuable predictors of yield to combine different environments than CHM. Time series VIs and CHM produced high accuracies (~68–72%), but inconsistent models. A little sacrifice in accuracy (~60–65%) produced consistent models using ΣVI-SUMs and CHM during pre-reproductive vegetative growth. Absence of VIs produced poorer accuracies (by about ~5–10%). Normalized difference type VIs produced maximum accuracies, and flowering times were the best times for UAS data acquisition. This study suggests that the best yielding varieties can be accurately predicted in new environments at or before flowering when combining multiple temporal flights and predictors.