"rPAex: R Package for the Automatic Detection of Experimental Units in Precision Agriculture"

Abstract

"Experimental research in agriculture uses designs to control experimental error, analyze the applicable agronomic measures, and determine the factors of interest. Multispectral cameras in crewless vehicles have expanded the sources of experimental information, providing crop images during the different stages of crop development. We propose rPAex, a package developed in R, to facilitate the use of multispectral images in experimental designs. rPAex includes functions that allow us to (1) automate the distribution of experimental units in shape, size, and uniform spacing, (2) link the spectral information with the experimental design in the field, (3) rectify the plot coordinates in the future images of the same field, (4) provide the edge pixels of the EUs with spectral information, and (5) generate subplots in a particular EU. To demonstrate the ease of use of rPAex in precision agriculture, a case study on the spectral trend in the development of cassava, maize, and sweet potato crops, conducted by the International Potato Center, is described herein. © (2026), (Technische Universitaet Wien). All Rigths Reserved."