Assessment of RapidEye vegetation indices for estimation of leaf area index and biomass in corn and soybean crops

Leaf area index (LAI) and biomass are important indicators of crop development and the availability of this information during the growing season can support farmer decision making processes. This study demonstrates the applicability of RapidEye multi-spectral data for estimation of LAI and biomass of two crop types (corn and soybean) with different canopy structure, leaf structure and photosynthetic pathways. The advantages of Rapid Eye in terms of increased temporal resolution (∼daily), high spatial resolution (∼5 m) and enhanced spectral information (includes red-edge band) are explored as an individual sensor and as part of a multi-sensor constellation. Seven vegetation indices based on combinations of reflectance in green, red, red-edge and near infrared bands were derived from RapidEye imagery between 2011 and 2013. LAI and biomass data were collected during the same period for calibration and validation of the relationships between vegetation indices and LAI and dry above-ground biomass. Most indices showed sensitivity to LAI from emergence to 8 m²/m². The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), the red-edge NDVI and the green NDVI were insensitive to crop type and had coefficients of variations (CV) ranging between 19 and 27%; and coefficients of determination ranging between 86 and 88%. The NDVI performed best for the estimation of dry leaf biomass (CV = 27% and r² = 090) and was also insensitive to crop type. The red-edge indices did not show any significant improvement in LAI and biomass estimation over traditional multispectral indices. Cumulative vegetation indices showed strong performance for estimation of total dry above-ground biomass, especially for corn (CV ≤ 20%). This study demonstrated that continuous crop LAI monitoring over time and space at the field level can be achieved using a combination of RapidEye, Landsat and SPOT data and sensor-dependant best-fit functions. This approach eliminates/reduces the need for reflectance resampling, VIs inter-calibration and spatial resampling.     

基于冠层反射光谱的水稻产量预测模型

基于地面实测的水稻冠层反射光谱,计算了常用的8个植被指数,并在产量形成生理特征的基础上,系统分析了水稻籽粒产量及其构成因素与各植被指数之间的关系。结果表明,通过单一生育时期或某个生育阶段的光谱植被指数来直接估测产量精度较低。发现叶面积氮指数(叶片氮百分含量与叶面积指数的乘积)的变化趋势很好地反映了产量的形成过程,且与光谱植被指数极显著正相关,基于此建立了水稻的光谱植被指数-累积叶面积氮指数-产量估测模型(VICLANIYieldModel)。并将其与LAD-产量模型、多生育期复合估产模型进行了比较,表明本模型预测精度最高。     

Sentinel-2 time series based optimal features and time window for mapping invasive Australian native Acacia species in KwaZulu Natal,South Africa

The spread of invasive Australia native Acacia tree species threatens biodiversity and adversely affecting on vegetative structure and function, including plant community composition, quantity and quality worldwide. It is essential to provide researchers and land managers for biological invasion science and management with accurate information of the distribution of invasive alien species and their dynamics. Remotely sensed data that reveal spatial distribution of the earth’s surface features/objects provide great potential for this purpose. Consistent satellite monitoring of alien invasive plants is often difficult because of lack of sufficient spectral contrast between them and co-occurring plants species. Time series analysis of spectral properties of the species can reveal timing of their variations among adjacent species. This information can improve accuracy of invasive species discrimination and mapping using remote sensing data at large scale. We sought to identify and better understand the optimal time window and key spectral features sufficient to detect invasive Acacia trees in heterogeneous forested landscape in South Africa. We explored one-year (January to December 2018) time series spectral bands and vegetation indices derived from optical Copernicus Sentinel-2 data. The attributes correspond to geographical information of invasive Acacia and native species recorded during a field survey undertaken from 21 February to 25 February 2018 over Kwa-Zulu Natal grasslands landscape, in South Africa. The results showed comparable separability prospects between times series of spectral bands and that of vegetation indices.Substantial differences between Acacia species and native species were observed from spectral indices and spectral bands which are sensitive to Leaf Area Index, canopy chlorophyll and nitrogen concentrations. The results further revealed spectral differences between Acacia species and co-occurring native vegetation in April (senescence for deciduous plants), June-July (dry season), September (peak flowering period of Acacia spp) and December (leaf green-up) with vegetation indices (overall accuracy > 80 %). While spectral bands showed the beginning of the growing season (November–January) and peak vegetation productivity (February-March) as the optimal seasons or dates for image acquisition for discriminating Acacias from its co-occurring native species (overall accuracy > 80 %). In general, the use of Sentinel-2 time series spectral bands and vegetation indices has increased our understanding of Australian Acacias spectral dynamics, and proved that the sentinel-2 data is useful for characterization and monitoring Acacias over a large scale. Our results and approach could assist in deriving detailed geographic information of the species and assessment of a spread invasive plant species and severity of invasion.     

Predicting forest carbon stocks from high resolution satellite data in dry forests of Zimbabwe: exploring the effect of the red-edge band in forest carbon stocks estimation

In this study, we tested whether the inclusion of the red-edge band as a covariate to vegetation indices improves the predictive accuracy in forest carbon estimation and mapping in savanna dry forests of Zimbabwe. Initially, we tested whether and to what extent vegetation indices (simple ratio SR, soil-adjusted vegetation index and normalized difference vegetation index) derived from high spatial resolution satellite imagery (WorldView-2) predict forest carbon stocks. Next, we tested whether inclusion of reflectance in the red-edge band as a covariate to vegetation indices improve the model's accuracy in forest carbon prediction. We used simple regression analysis to determine the nature and the strength of the relationship between forest carbon stocks and remotely sensed vegetation indices. We then used multiple regression analysis to determine whether integrating vegetation indices and reflection in the red-edge band improve forest carbon prediction. Next, we mapped the spatial variation in forest carbon stocks using the best regression model relating forest carbon stocks to remotely sensed vegetation indices and reflection in the red-edge band. Our results showed that vegetation indices alone as an explanatory variable significantly (p < 0.05) predicted forest carbon stocks with R² ranging between 45 and 63% and RMSE ranging from 10.3 to 12.9%. However, when the reflectance in the red-edge band was included in the regression models the explained variance increased to between 68 and 70% with the RMSE ranging between 9.56 and 10.1%. A combination of SR and reflectance in the red edge produced the best predictor of forest carbon stocks. We concluded that integrating vegetation indices and reflectance in the red-edge band derived from high spatial resolution can be successfully used to estimate forest carbon in dry forests with minimal error.     

Spectral models for estimation of chlorophyll content, growth and yield of wheat crop

Field experiments were conducted during 1998–99 and 1999–2000 at research farm of the Department of Agricultural Meteorology, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar. Five wheat cultivars: WH 542, PBW 343, UP 2338, Raj 3765 and Sonak were sown on 25^th November, 10^th and 25^th December with four nitrogen levels viz., no nitrogen. 50, 100 and 150% of recommended dose. Leaf area index, dry matter at anthesis, final dry biomass and grain yield were recorded in all the treatments. Chlorophyll and wax contents of wheat leaves were estimated at different growth stages. Multiband spectral reflectance was measured using hand-held radiometer. Spectral indices such as simple ratio, normalized difference, transformed vegetation index, perpendicular vegetation index and greenness index were computed using the multiband spectral data. Values of all the spectral indices were maximum in 25 November sown crop with maximum dose of nitrogen (180 kg N ha^-1). PBW 343 showed higher values of all the spectral indices in comparison with other cultivars. The spectral indices recorded during maximum leaf area index stage were correlated with crop parameters. Using stepwise regression, empirical models for chlorophyll, leaf area index, dry biomass and yield prediction were developed. The ’R²’ values of these models ranged between 0.87 and 0.95.     

Herbaceous Biomass Estimation from SPOT 5 Imagery in Semiarid Rangelands of Idaho

Eight vegetation indices (VI) commonly used for above-ground biomass (AGB) estimation were derived from Satellite Pour l'Observation de la Terre 5 (SPOT 5) imagery and used to predict herbaceous AGB at a semiarid rangeland study site in southeastern Idaho. The relationship between herbaceous AGB and vegetation water content was also evaluated and as a result, a suite of water-sensitive vegetation indices (WSVI) were developed. Correlation coefficients between herbaceous AGB, VIs, and WSVIs were calculated, demonstrating that WSVIs were correlated (r ² ≥ 0.51) with vegetation water content and performed better than standard VIs in herbaceous AGB estimates within the semiarid rangelands of Idaho.     

Woody vegetation cover,height and biomass at 25-m resolution across Australia derived from multiple site,airborne and satellite observations

Detailed spatial information on the presence and properties of woody vegetation serves many purposes, including carbon accounting, environmental reporting and land management. Here, we investigated whether machine learning can be used to combine multiple spatial observations and training data to estimate woody vegetation canopy cover fraction (‘cover’), vegetation height (‘height’) and woody above-ground biomass dry matter (‘biomass’) at 25-m resolution across the Australian continent, where possible on an annual basis. We trained a Random Forest algorithm on cover and height estimates derived from airborne LiDAR over 11 regions and inventory-based biomass estimates for many thousands of plots across Australia. As predictors, we used annual geomedian Landsat surface reflectance, ALOS/PALSAR L-band radar backscatter mosaics, spatial vegetation structure data derived primarily from ICESat/GLAS satellite altimetry, and spatial climate data. Cross-validation experiments were undertaken to optimize the selection of predictors and the configuration of the algorithm. The resulting estimation errors were 0.07 for cover, 3.4 m for height, and 80 t dry matter ha^-1 for biomass. A large fraction (89–94 %) of the observed variance was explained in each case. Priorities for future research include validation of the LiDAR-derived cover training data and the use of new satellite vegetation height data from the GEDI mission. Annual cover mapping for 2000–2018 provided detailed insight in woody vegetation dynamics. Continentally, woody vegetation change was primarily driven by water availability and its effect on bushfire and mortality, particularly in the drier interior. Changes in woody vegetation made a substantial contribution to Australia’s total carbon emissions since 2000. Whether these ecosystems will recover biomass in future remains to be seen, given the persistent pressures of climate change and land use.     

Evaluating the potential of the red edge channel for C3 (Festuca spp.) grass discrimination using Sentinel-2 and Rapid Eye satellite image data

Integrating the Red Edge channel in satellite sensors is valuable for plant species discrimination. Sentinel-2 MSI and Rapid Eye are some of the new generation satellite sensors that are characterized by finer spatial and spectral resolution, including the red edge band. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential of the red edge band of Sentinel-2 and Rapid Eye, for mapping festuca C3 grass using discriminant analysis and maximum likelihood classification algorithms. Spectral bands, vegetation indices and spectral bands plus vegetation indices were analysed. Results show that the integration of the red edge band improved the festuca C3 grass mapping accuracy by 5.95 and 4.76% for Sentinel-2 and Rapid Eye when the red edge bands were included and excluded in the analysis, respectively. The results demonstrate that the use of sensors with strategically positioned red edge bands, could offer information that is critical for the sustainable rangeland management.     

Estimation of Sugar Beet Aboveground Biomass by Band Depth Optimization of Hyperspectral Canopy Reflectance

Aboveground biomass of sugar beet influences tuber growth and sugar accumulation. Thus, accurate, rapid, and non-destructive technique of biomass estimation is important to optimize the crop management practices to attain the required aboveground biomass to support high tuber yields and optimal sugar content. The current research aimed to evaluate the performance of hyperspectral indices and band depth analysis, to remotely assess the aboveground biomass in sugar beet. The biomass and hyperspectral reflectance were collected at different growth stages in experimental and farmers’ fields. The model development was based on sugar beet plants sampled at various times during the growing period subject to seven nitrogen rates. The results showed that accuracy of biomass estimation was greater when using vegetation indices involving red edge bands (680–740 nm) as compared to that using the red light-based indices. Four types of optimized band depth information (band depth, band depth ratio, normalized band depth index, and band depth normalized to band area) involving the red edge further increased the accuracy of biomass estimation. This study demonstrated as the sugar beet biomass increased towards later growing period, biomass estimation using red light-based vegetation indices were less accurate as compared to that using band depth analysis in the vicinity of the red edge.     

Vegetation图像植被指数与实测水稻叶面积指数的关系

水稻的叶面积指数 (LAI)是水稻生长的一项重要参数 ,与水稻的生物量与产量直接相关。利用 1999年在江苏省江宁县实测的水稻叶面积指数与同期Vegetation/SPOT的植被指数作了对比分析 ,结果发现同期的LAI与植被指数表现相近的变化特征 ,两者具有良好的相关关系。     

Potato varietal discrimination using ground based multiband radiometer

The potential usefulness of spectral properties and vegetation indices in varietal discrimination of potato genotypes was studied in the field experiment. Spectral measurements were recorded in different bands in blue (450–520 nm), green (520–590 nm), red (620–680 nm) and infrared (770–860 nm) of the electromagnetic spectrum at different stages during crop growth period. A ground based hand held multiband radiometer (Model/041) was used for the purpose. The mean per cent green reflectance value among different genotypes was lowest in genotype MS/86-89, while it was observed highest in genotype JX-216. Significant difference among these genotypes was found at all growth stages except 6 week after planting. Consequent to variation in spectral reflectance the vegetation indices like, NDVI, RVI, TVI and DVI showed significant difference among genotypes at all growth stages except at 8^th week after planting. The vegetation indices are good indicators of crop growth and condition. Similarly, fresh weight, dry weight, and leaf area index were also highest in MS/86-89, followed by KUFRI Bahar and KUFRI Sutlej while in case of leaf area index it was followed by Kufri Sutlej and Kufri Bahar. JX-23 was highest in chlorophyll content and tuber yield followed by MS/86-89 and JW-160, while lowest chlorophyll content was seen in MS/89-1095 and poorest tuber yield in MS/89-60. Most of the genotypes exhibited considerable variation in their spectral response and vegetation indices thereby indicating the possibility of their discrimination through remote sensing technique.     

机器学习算法在森林地上生物量估算中的应用

森林地上生物量是森林生产力的重要评价指标,对其进行高效监测对维持全球碳平衡和保护生态系统具有重要意义。本文首先基于冠层高度模型数据,通过分水岭分割算法得到单木冠幅边界;然后在单木冠幅范围内提取23个LiDAR变量,结合佩诺布斯科特试验森林的87组实测数据,利用随机森林和支持向量机建立森林地上生物量估算模型;最后对样地模型估算的结果进行了比较,讨论了预测结果及其精度。结果表明:本文选用的随机森林模型和支持向量机模型在估算森林地上生物量的应用中获得了较高的精度;并且,随机森林模型在基于机载雷达数据估测森林地上生物量中的估算精度更高,模型泛化能力更强,制图精度也更好,具有更好的适用性。     

Sensitivity of narrowband vegetation indices to boreal forest LAI,reflectance seasonality and species composition

There is growing evidence that imaging spectroscopy could improve the accuracy of satellite-based retrievals of vegetation attributes, such as leaf area index (LAI) and biomass. In this study, we evaluated narrowband vegetation indices (VIs) for estimating overstory effective LAI (LAI_eff) in a southern boreal forest area for the period between the end of snowmelt and maximum LAI using three Hyperion images and concurrent field measurements. We compared the performance of narrowband VIs with two SPOT HRVIR images, which closely corresponded to the imaging dates of the Hyperion data, and with synthetic broadband VIs computed from Hyperion images. According to the results, narrowband VIs based on near infrared (NIR) bands, and NIR and shortwave infrared (SWIR) bands showed the strongest linear relationships with LAI_eff over its typical range of variation and for the studied period of the snow-free season. The relationships were not dependent on dominant tree species (coniferous vs. broadleaved), which is an advantage in heterogeneous boreal forest landscapes. The best VIs, particularly those based on NIR spectral bands close to the 1200 nm liquid water absorption feature, provided a clear improvement over the best broadband VIs.     

Application of topo-edaphic factors and remotely sensed vegetation indices to enhance biomass estimation in a heterogeneous landscape in the Eastern Arc Mountains of Tanzania

Estimating tropical biomass is critical for establishment of conservation inventories and landscape monitoring. However, monitoring biomass in a complex and dynamic environment using traditional methods is challenging. Recently, biomass estimates based on remotely sensed data and ecological variables have shown great potential. The present study explored the utility of remotely sensed data and topo-edaphic factors to improve biomass estimation in the Eastern Arc Mountains of Tanzania. Twenty-nine vegetation indices were calculated from RapidEye data, while topo-edaphic factors were taken from field measurements. Results showed that using topo-edaphic variables or vegetation indices, biomass could be predicted with an R² of 0.4. A combination of topo-edaphic variables and vegetation indices improved the prediction accuracy to an R² of 0.6. Results further showed a decrease in biomass estimates from 1162 ton ha^?1 in 1980 to 285.38 ton ha^?1 in 2012. This study demonstrates the value of combining remotely sensed data with topo-edaphic variables in biomass estimation.     

Evaluating the relationship between biomass,percent groundcover and remote sensing indices across six winter cover crop fields in Maryland,United States

Winter cover crops are an essential part of managing nutrient and sediment losses from agricultural lands. Cover crops lessen sedimentation by reducing erosion, and the accumulation of nitrogen in aboveground biomass results in reduced nutrient runoff. Winter cover crops are planted in the fall and are usually terminated in early spring, making them susceptible to senescence, frost burn, and leaf yellowing due to wintertime conditions. This study sought to determine to what extent remote sensing indices are capable of accurately estimating the percent groundcover and biomass of winter cover crops, and to analyze under what critical ranges these relationships are strong and under which conditions they break down. Cover crop growth on six fields planted to barley, rye, ryegrass, triticale or wheat was measured over the 2012–2013 winter growing season. Data collection included spectral reflectance measurements, aboveground biomass, and percent groundcover. Ten vegetation indices were evaluated using surface reflectance data from a 16-band CROPSCAN sensor. Restricting analysis to sampling dates before the onset of prolonged freezing temperatures and leaf yellowing resulted in increased estimation accuracy. There was a strong relationship between the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and percent groundcover (r² = 0.93) suggesting that date restrictions effectively eliminate yellowing vegetation from analysis. The triangular vegetation index (TVI) was most accurate in estimating high ranges of biomass (r² = 0.86), while NDVI did not experience a clustering of values in the low and medium biomass ranges but saturated in the higher range (>1500 kg/ha). The results of this study show that accounting for index saturation, senescence, and frost burn on leaves can greatly increase the accuracy of estimates of percent groundcover and biomass for winter cover crops.     

WorldView-2纹理的森林地上生物量反演

使用高空间分辨率卫星WorldView-2的多光谱遥感影像,构建植被指数和纹理因子等遥感因子与森林地上生物量的关系方程,并计算模型估测精度和均方根误差,探索高分辨率数据的光谱与纹理信息在温带森林地上生物量估测应用中的潜力。以黑龙江省凉水自然保护区温带天然林及天然次生林为研究对象,通过灰度共生矩阵(GLCM)、灰度差分向量(GLDV)及和差直方图(SADH)对高分辨率遥感影像进行纹理信息提取,并利用外业调查的74个样地地上生物量与遥感因子建立参数估计模型。提取的遥感因子包括6种植被指数(比值植被指数RVI、差值植被指数DVI、规一化植被指数NDVI、增强植被指数EVI、土壤调节植被指数SAVI和修正的土壤调节植被指数MSAVI)以及3类纹理因子(GLCM、GLDV和SADH)。为避免特征变量个数较多对估测模型造成过拟合,利用随机森林算法对提取的遥感因子进行特征选择,将最优的特征变量输入模型参与建模估测。采用支持向量回归(SVR)进行生物量建模及验证,结果显示选入模型的和差直方图均值(sadh_mean)、灰度共生矩阵方差(glcm_var)和差值植被指数(DVI)等遥感因子对森林地上生物量有较好的解释效果;植被指数+纹理因子组合的模型获得较精确的AGB估算结果(R2=0.85,RMSE=42.30 t/ha),单独使用植被指数的模型精度则较低(R~2=0.69,RMSE=61.13 t/ha)。     

Investigating relationships between Landsat-7 ETM data and spatial segregation of LULC types under shifting agriculture in southern Cameroon

This paper investigates statistical relationships between land use/land cover (LULC), Landsat-7 ETM⁺ imagery and landscape mosaic structure in southern Cameroon where the conversion of tropical rain forest to shifting cultivation leads to dynamic processes, acting on the spatial aggregation of various LULC types. A Global Positioning System (GPS) was used in the field to identify a total of 171 shifting cultivation patches representing eight LULC types in two sub-areas. Because of the lack of a cloud-free image for the date of field sampling, the ETM⁺ imagery was acquired 2 months after field survey, during which it was assumed that no significant changes in LULC occurred (all dry season). Per pixel correlations were developed between spectral reflectance data, vegetation indices and LULC. As an exploratory study, several statistical methods (analysis of variance, means separations (Tukey HSD), principal component analysis (PCA), geo-statistical analysis, image classification and landscape metrics) were applied on point data and sensor images for evaluating the spatial variability within the landscape. Most variables explained 30–72% of LULC variation in the whole dataset. Those variables with high information content of LULC (infrared bands 4, 5, 7 and derived indices and PC1) also showed long ranges (6 km) spatial dependence as compared to those varying only within 1 km range. The results of these statistical analyses suggested the need to group some LULC types and the application of the Maximum Likelihood Classifier (MLC) for supervised classification provided a LULC map with the highest accuracy (81%) after consolidation of perennial LULC types, such as bush fallow, forest fallow and cocoa plantations. Landscape metrics computed from this map showed a high level of patch diversity and connectivity within the landscape and provided input data that can further be used to simulate predictive maps as substitute to cloud-covered sensor imageries. Landsat-7 ETM⁺ imagery proved to be useful in discriminating (with about 80% accuracy) the most dynamic LULC types such cropped plots and young fallow patches (shifting every season) and the extension front of the agricultural landscape.     

Quantification winter wheat LAI with HJ-1CCD image features over multiple growing seasons

Remote sensing images are widely used to map leaf area index (LAI) continuously over landscape. The objective of this study is to explore the ideal image features from Chinese HJ-1 A/B CCD images for estimating winter wheat LAI in Beijing. Image features were extracted from such images over four seasons of winter wheat growth, including five vegetation indices (VIs), principal components (PC), tasseled cap transformations (TCT) and texture parameters. The LAI was significantly correlated with the near-infrared reflectance band, five VIs [normalized difference vegetation index, enhanced vegetation index (EVI), modified nonlinear vegetation index (MNLI), optimization of soil-adjusted vegetation index, and ratio vegetation index], the first principal component (PC1) and the second TCT component (TCT2). However, these image features cannot significantly improve the estimation accuracy of winter wheat LAI in conjunction with eight texture measures. To determine the few ideal features with the best estimation accuracy, partial least squares regression (PLSR) and variable importance in projection (VIP) were applied to predict LAI values. Four remote sensing features (TCT2, PC1, MNLI and EVI) were chosen based on VIP values. The result of leave-one-out cross-validation demonstrated that the PLSR model based on these four features produced better result than the ten features’ model, throughout the whole growing season. The results of this study suggest that selecting a few ideal image features is sufficient for LAI estimation.     

Geospatial analysis of Tamil Nadu Eastern Ghats forest types at landscape level with reference to fragmentation and species diversity

The present study has generated spatial databases on the vegetation type with plant biodiversity, forest fragmentation and disturbance regimes in Tamilnadu parts of Eastern Ghats (EG), India. These databases have been analysed geospatially with landscape ecology approach. The study also includes ground inventory of plant species based on Remote Sensing (RS) data stratification. The vegetation type map was generated from the visual interpretation of two season IRS LISS III data. The spatial landscape analysis of the remotely sensed interpreted images was carried out using customized software, SPLAM. This is first such study in Tamilnadu Eastern Ghats that provides a comprehensive spatial database on vegetation types, disturbance regime and plant species diversity. The study has shown that the dry deciduous and thorn forests have shown better resistance to disturbance compared to the most disturbed evergreen and semievergreen forests. The study outputs are being utilized by forest department and biodiversity boards for conservation action planning and compliance to Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).