b'PARTNER CONTENTGeopolitical Drone DilemmaImage Acquisition for BreedersBy: Lee WestD rones are changing the face of breeding programs across the globe. In the next several issues, I will describe the key components of drone programs from image acquisition to trait extraction to putting the new data to work.In the issue, I will frame how global security issues are intersecting with drone usage to create challenges to acquire research grade imagery with drones.In recent years, the utilization of drones has become integral to crop breeders. China-based DJI (D-Jing Innovations) has been a dominant player in providing high-quality drone technol-ogy. DJIs technological advances have directly supported the proliferation of high throughput phenotyping tracks. However, the American Security Drone Act of 2023 (S.473) looks to ban all federal agencies and contractors from procuring or operating drones manufactured or assembled by foreign entities that pose national security risks. Though the bill, which was first intro-duced in 2020, has not passed, it has spawned blanket bans and restrictions on DJI products in all federal departments as well asA variety of commonly used research grade drones usedsome states, universities and institutions.These bans have raisedby crop breeders.concerns about access to drone technology for many important applications including plant breeding.DJIs Role in Crop BreedingDJIs drones have been widely adopted in agriculture for their ability to collect valuable data through advanced imaging tech-nologies. Plant breeders leverage drone technology to acquire re-search grade image sets from which key metrics like stand counts, vegetative indices, plant height and wheat head counts can be extracted. These raw traits can then be leveraged to determine factors like maturity and yield before harvest (well talk more about this in the next installment of this series). These applica-tions contribute significantly to the development of new plant varieties, enhancing crop yield, resilience and overall agricultural sustainability.A DJI Matrice 300 capturing phenotypic data over a wheat Drone Dilemma for Breeders breeding trial.The imposition of bans on DJI products has left plant breeders in a challenging position, as they must now seek alternative solu- drone options that may not offer the same level of quality tions for data collection and analysis. Several key challengesand ease of use, potentially compromising the accuracy of have emerged in this landscape according to Hiphen CEO Alexisdata collected.Comar: 2.Integration Issues: Plant breeders who have invested in DJI 1.Limited Options for Research Grade Imagery: DJI dronesproducts may face integration challenges when transition-are renowned for their integrated sensors and controlsing to alternative drone technologies. Comar notes, Most which are seamless to operate and provide plant breedersof the alternatives currently available do not have fully with accurate and detailed imagery crucial for their re- integrated controls and must be mounted with third party search. The ban forces plant breeders to explore alternativehardware and software.42/ SEEDWORLD.COMJANUARY 2024'