Crop cover and crop phenological information from red and infrared spectral responses

Possibility of utilizing the red and infrared spectral information for assessing status of vegetation cover and consequential crop phenological information are discussed. The experiment was conducted in a potential agricultural area around Mandya town of Karnataka State and airborne spectral information was obtained through modular multispectral scanner from a height of 1000 meters above the ground level. The spectral information of red (0.66–0.70 urn) and infrared (0.77–0.86 urn) bands was extracted with the aid of an interactive computer system : the multispectral data analysis system. Based on the spectral information, the data was analysed and interpreted with the support of ground information. Crop fields without vegetation were observed to have infrared/red ratio in the range of 0.70 to 0.97 and also it was possible to distinguish wet and dry paddy field. Crop fields covered with vegetation exhibited higher infrared/red ratio depending on the nature of crop growth. For instance, rice crop exhibited spectral ratio of 0.78 at the time of planting, 3.52 at the time of maximum vegetation growth and 2.04 during the maturation phase. In case of sugarcane crop, the increase and decrease in spectral ratio were gradual because of its longer duration. From infrared and red band information it was possible to distinguish crop species based on rate of change of vegetation cover which corresponded with the change in spectral ratios. The temporal information expressed in two dimensional space for red and infrared band also enabled clearly to distinguish between rice and sugarcane.