Per-tree Sampling Methods: Using AI for the Unfair Advantage
Turning aerial data into actionable insights: Leveraging AI and drone tech to improve efficiency and sustainability.
We can now use AI to generate sampling points (individual trees) based off the drone data metrics. Mostly used for crop and yield monitoring.
Not all apps and platforms are going to give you this option - at least not yet. But there are some frontrunners like Aerobotics.
These AI-based methods of sample point generation leads us to representative trees precisely. And it's a useful tool for non-yield focused sampling too!
Hence, if you want a significant spread of data points, or only a few - according to time or labour allowances - you can go this route. To find out more about how to do this with your future or current drone datasets, feel free to connect with me.
The Future of AI-Driven Sampling in Macadamia Orchards
Precision agriculture is evolving fast.
For macadamia growers, AI-enhanced drone data isn’t just a new tool - it’s becoming essential for improving yields, cutting costs, and managing orchards more sustainably.
Managing a perennial crop like macadamias means decisions matter every day, every season. With detailed, tree-level insights, you’re no longer relying on broad guesses - you’re making targeted, precise choices that protect your bottom line and your orchard’s health.
AI Makes Sampling Smarter, Not Harder
Drones have already changed how we see orchards.
Platforms like Aerobotics (tree and vine crops) and Agremo (field crops), deliver detailed maps of tree health, canopy cover, and vigour. But the real power comes from AI turning this data into action.
Why? Because drone images alone can overwhelm.
AI sorts through the noise, spotting patterns and anomalies faster than any human could. That means your sampling - whether for yield estimates, performance, or disease scouting - gets laser-focused.
Here’s what AI is doing for growers right now:
Finding Representative Trees:
Instead of random or blanket sampling, AI helps identify which trees best reflect your orchard’s overall condition. This gives more reliable yield forecasts and avoids wasted effort.
Spotting Outliers Early:
AI flags trees showing signs of stress or disease before you’d normally see them. Catching problems early means you can act faster, preventing bigger losses.
Planning Efficient Routes:
Using GPS and mobile apps, AI plots the quickest paths to your sampling points. Less time walking, more time working.
Focusing Inputs Where Needed:
AI highlights where fertiliser, sprays, or labour will have the biggest impact - saving money and reducing waste.
Now, this kind of precision sampling is not only smart; it’s how modern orchards will compete.
What’s Around the Corner: A look to the Future
The AI tools you can use today already make a difference. But the next generation will bring capabilities that will feel futuristic - yet practical.
Real-Time Adaptive Sampling:
Imagine changing your sampling plan mid-field visit, based on fresh drone data or what you’re seeing on the ground. AI will soon make that possible, keeping you responsive and efficient.
Multi-Sensor Fusion:
Instead of looking at just one kind of data, AI will combine multispectral, thermal images, LiDAR, in-field telemetry, and weather info. This will provide an increasingly comprehensive picture of what’s really driving tree health or stress.
ROI-Driven Decisions:
AI will weigh the costs and benefits of different sampling actions; pointing you toward those that deliver the best return on investment.
AI-Powered Phenotyping:
Early signs of flowering, fruit set, or pest damage will be picked up automatically from drone videos - and guide where you should sample next.
Digital Twin Orchards:
Virtual replicas of your orchard will simulate growth and risk, helping you test scenarios and target sampling to validate what’s happening in the real world.
These simulations will not be static, but provide virtual sampling information focused on AI model enhancements and optimisations.
This approach is already underway, but will become more commonplace. Available to the frontend user, turning analytics dashboards from a tool for reactive management, to proactive; even premeditated.Drone-Robot Collaboration:
The future will see drones identifying problems, then sending ground-based, or low altitude flying robots (even better for varied or extreme terrains) to collect physical samples - turning sampling into a fully automated process.
If we have already sampled remotely on asteroids in the 2020’s, how much more plausible is it to do so from orchards on Terra firma?
In the farming world specifically, we are being limited by (1) our beliefs in what is possible, and (2) our inability to move rapidly out of outdated practices and into new one’s.These mind-shifts fly against a lot of what our human psyche would suggest: to stick with old habits, to stick with what’s comfortable.
We have to break that trend.
Why AI Matters For Your Business and the Environment
For macadamia farmers, AI-powered drone sampling is more than tech for tech’s sake.
By targeting only the trees that need attention, you save time and reduce input costs. Your yield predictions improve, and your orchard stays healthier - especially true where you take action on your findings, track interventions, and optimise. .
Environmentally, this means using fewer chemicals, managing water more efficiently, and building resilience into your orchard practices, and the trees themselves. That’s good for your farm, and better for the land it sits on.
In conclusion, AI and drones are changing the way macadamia growers approach orchard sampling. From better data to smarter decisions, this technology is delivering real benefits now - not just “someday”.
If you’re growing macadamias in Southern Africa, Australia, Hawaii, Asia, Brazil, or anywhere else, the future is clear: It is precision-focused, profit-smart, and sustainability-driven.
Drone Data Metrics (Email Course)
If you want to learn more about the core sets of drone data you can utilise for enhancing agricultural efficiencies, this free course is for you!
