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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Stoneville, Mississippi » Crop Production Systems Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #258419
Title: Airborne Multispectral and Thermal Remote Sensing for Detecting the Onset of Crop Stress Caused by Multiple Factors

Author
item Huang, Yanbo
item Thomson, Steven

Submitted to: Proceedings of SPIE
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/30/2010
Publication Date: 9/20/2010
Citation: Huang, Y., Thomson, S.J. 2010. Airborne Multispectral and Thermal Remote Sensing for Detecting the Onset of Crop Stress Caused by Multiple Factors. Proceedings of SPIE. Vol. 7924, pp 1-11.

Interpretive Summary: Remote sensing technology has been developed and applied to provide information on crop stress for precision management. Aerial multispectral images were obtained over a field planted cotton, corn and soybean that received aerial spray of the herbicide glyphosate. Two other fields managed with irrigated versus non-irrigated treatments were imaged with both a multispectral system and a thermal imaging camera on board an agricultural aircraft. The two vegetation indices were used to quantify herbicide induced crop stress, and demonstrated the ability to monitor crop response to herbicide-induced injury. Thermal imagery indicated water stress due to deficits in soil moisture, and provided a method of determining crop cover percentage using thermal imagery. Development of an image fusion scheme will improve overall herbicide and water stress detection ability.

Technical Abstract: Remote sensing technology has been developed and applied to provide spatiotemporal information on crop stress for precision management. A series of multispectral images over a field planted cotton, corn and soybean were obtained by a Geospatial Systems MS4100 camera mounted on an Air Tractor 402B airplane equipped with Camera Link in a Magma converter box triggered by Terraverde Dragonfly® flight navigation and imaging control software. The field crops were intentionally stressed by applying glyphosate herbicide via aircraft and allowing it to drift near-field. Aerial multispectral images in the visible and near-infrared bands were manipulated to produce vegetation indices, which were used to quantify the onset of herbicide induced crop stress. The vegetation indices normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and soil adjusted vegetation index (SAVI) showed the ability to monitor crop response to herbicide-induced injury by revealing stress at different phenological stages. Two other fields were managed with irrigated versus non-irrigated treatments, and those fields were imaged with both the multispectral system and an Electrophysics PV-320T thermal imaging camera on board an Air Tractor 402B aircraft. Thermal imagery indicated water stress due to deficits in soil moisture, and a proposed method of determining crop cover percentage using thermal imagery was compared with a multispectral imaging method. Development of an image fusion scheme may be necessary to provide synergy and improve overall water stress detection ability.