HR: 09:15h
AN: B11F-06    [Abstracts]
TI: Mapping Spatial Variability in Crop Growth Using High Resolution Aerial Photographs
AU: * Sivanpillai, R
EM: sivan@uwyo.edu
AF: Wyoming Geographic Information Science Center, University of Wyoming, Department 4008, Laramie, WY 82071, United States
AU: Claypool, D A
EM: claypool@uwyo.edu
AF: Department of Plant Sciences, University of Wyoming, Department 3354, Laramie, WY 82071, United States
AB: To adopt sustainable farming practices, farmers need information about the spatial variability of their cropland. Using this information, they can generate crop management zones and vary resource input to meet specific requirements within each zone. This often reduces the amount of resource (e.g., fertilizer, water) added to fields, resulting in direct benefit to the economy and the environment. To map the spatial variability within cropland, high resolution remotely sensed data are required. In this study we examined the utility of images from the Airborne Environmental Research Observational Camera (AEROCam) for identifying management zones in Lingle, Wyoming. Specifically, we examined the relationship between vegetation indices derived from AEROCam images and sunflower and barley yields. Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) values accounted for most of the measured variance in crop yield, and were used to identify anomalies within the field. Differences in crop growth identified by AEROCam were related to variation in electrical conductivity and water holding capacity of the soil. Our results indicate that brightness values recorded by AEROCam images can be used to generate crop management zones.
DE: 0402 Agricultural systems
DE: 0430 Computational methods and data processing
DE: 0480 Remote sensing
SC: Biogeosciences [B]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting