Overview
DroneDeploy's soybean Stand Count workflow estimates how evenly soybeans emerge across a field at early vegetative stages, typically V2-V3. The Stand Count Report combines plant counts with gap analysis to help you quickly spot skips, emergence issues, and within-row variability so you can make informed replant and management decisions.
This article explains how the system models soybeans and how to interpret the Plant Gap Analysis, Summary, and Map sections of the report.
How soybeans are modeled
When you run a Stand Count flight on soybeans, the process follows these steps:
- The drone collects a series of nadir images across the field at low altitude.
- DroneDeploy runs a plant-detection model trained specifically on soybean imagery at early vegetative stages.
- The model identifies individual soybean plants within each sampling frame and measures the distance between neighboring plants along the row.
From those plant-to-plant measurements, the system calculates:
- Plant spacing in inches at each sample point.
- Gaps where the distance between plants is significantly larger than the local "typical" spacing.
- Stand metrics per acre, derived from the samples and extrapolated to the surrounding area.
This is a gap-based analysis, so use the gap information in conjunction with planting practices to calculate your populations.
Stand count report layout
A typical soybean Stand Count Report includes the following sections:
Header: Field name, date, flight plan, acres covered, pilot, and image count.
Plant Gap Analysis: A bar chart summarizing how many gaps fall into three size categories: green, yellow, and red.
Summary: Key metrics such as Crop Type, Median Spacing, and Median Gap Count.
Map: An aerial image with colored sample markers showing spacing values at each location.
Plant gap analysis
The Plant Gap Analysis section shows how evenly plants are spaced within the sampled areas.
What you see
The bar chart contains three colored categories:
- Green: More than 7% above the median for the field.
- Yellow: Median gaps.
- Red: More than 7% below the median for the field.
Each bar displays a percentage representing the share of all measured gaps in that category. A gap size boundary in inches appears under the bar to mark where one category transitions to the next.
How to interpret it
- More green, less red: Indicates variability in emergence, but no poor areas of the field.
- High amounts of red: Suggests more variability in emergence, planter performance or seed-to-soil contact.
- Comparing fields or passes: Use the chart to compare performance between different fields, seed lots or planter setups flown with the same workflow.
Identify patterns and problem areas rather than using the chart as an absolute guarantee of per-plant spacing.
Summary panel
The Summary panel provides key metrics at a glance:
- Crop Type: Soybean (V2/V3) confirms the use of the soybean model.
- Median Spacing: The typical plant-to-plant distance across all sampled locations. Half of the measured spacings are smaller than this value and half are larger.
- Median Gap Count: An aggregate gap intensity metric per acre. Lower values indicate fewer or smaller gaps across the stand.
How to use these metrics
Compare the Median Spacing to your target planter spacing. If the median is significantly higher than expected, plants may be missing or emerged late.
Use the Median Gap Count as a relative indicator; lower is better when comparing fields planted on the same date with similar products. Combine this with a visual inspection of the map to decide where to scout.
Map view and sample markers
The Map section overlays sampling points on the field image. Each colored bubble represents a sampling location, and the number inside is the local spacing in inches. Colors match the Plant Gap Analysis categories:
- Green: Shorter, closer-to-ideal spacings.
- Yellow: Median gap analysis
- Red: Longest gaps or potential skips.
How to read the map
Scan for clusters of red markers to identify zones with potential issues like residue or planter performance. Headlands and turning areas often show more variability, and can lead to the model not generating an analysis of this waypoint.
If the map displays "No Data Available," it may indicate that sampling points were only collected in a subset of the area or that images did not meet quality thresholds (curved or cross rows, emergence too low to calculate).
Best practices for soybean stand count flights
To get the most reliable results:
- Fly at the growth stage V2-V3 so plants are visible.
- Use the Stand Count plan template and maintain recommended altitude and overlap settings.
- Avoid flights during harsh shadows, poor lighting, or in high-wind conditions.
Limitations
- The model is optimized for early-season soybeans and may underperform if plants are too small.
- Heavy residue, poor light conditions, or weeds can challenge plant detection.
- Results are estimates based on sampled areas, not a census of every plant in the field.
v2.2