Vegetation Density Profiling Using FMCW Radar for Plant Population Estimation

Accurate population data is important for agricultural practices, especially in estimating crop yields, determining production targets, and fertilizer efficiency. Previous population estimation methods that used image-based processing to obtain population data had difficulty when applied to plants with dense vegetation, as image processing became less effective in visually estimating populations. This paper proposes a Frequency-Modulated Continuous-Wave (FMCW) Radar technology operating in the 24-24.25 GHz frequency range as an alternative method for plant population estimation. A population estimation method using Radar coefficient reflection data is proposed in this paper. The study on Frequency-Modulated Continuous-Wave (FMCW) Radar was performed by conducting theoretical derivation modeling and numerical profiling simulations of the Frequency-Modulated Continuous-Wave Radar response to plants with variations in vegetation density to estimate the location and number of plant stalks. The results show that the population estimation method by observing the reflection coefficient in variations in vegetation density is a promising technique for increasing the precision of population data collection so that it can support sustainable agricultural production and overcome the limitations of population estimation methods in dense vegetation environments.