$975,000 grant will help scientists employ UAVs to improve wheat breeding

The National Institute of Food and Agriculture has awarded $975,000 to Kansas State University for work that incorporates unmanned aerial vehicles in the process of breeding better wheat varieties.

The university’s work is designed to give scientists deeper understanding of in-field conditions so they can improve breeding programs in the United States and internationally.

Unmanned aerial vehicles, more commonly known as drones, are quickly becoming recognized as a valuable tool for mapping agricultural crops. Kansas State University has been developing uses of UAVs to collect data on thousands of plots, including work in Kansas, Mexico and India.