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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Hydrology and Remote Sensing Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #326059
Title: An energy balance approach for mapping crop waterstress and yield impacts over the Czech Republic

Author
item Anderson, Martha
item HAIN, C. - University Of Maryland
item JURECKA, FRANTISEK - Mendel University
item TRNKA, M. - Mendel University
item HLAVINKA - Mendel University
item Dulaney, Wayne
item OTKIN, J. - University Of Wisconsin
item JOHNSON, D. - National Agricultural Statistical Service (NASS, USDA)
item Gao, Feng

Submitted to: Climate Research
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/28/2016
Publication Date: 10/27/2016
Citation: Anderson, M.C., Hain, C., Jurecka, F., Trnka, M., Hlavinka, Dulaney, W.P., Otkin, J., Johnson, D., Gao, F.N. 2016. An energy balance approach for mapping crop waterstress and yield impacts over the Czech Republic. Climate Research. 70:215-230.

Interpretive Summary: Remote sensing data from satellites is widely used for monitoring crop stress and forecasting yield impacts of drought. In this paper, the performance of the satellite-based Evaporative Stress Index (ESI) as an indicator of agricultural drought is evaluated over the Czech Republic. ESI data were extracted from a new global product, generated at 5-km spatial resolution. The ESI data highlights areas where crop water use (evapotranspiration) is higher or lower than normal with respect to a long-term baseline climatology, reflecting anomalies in vegetation health and local soil moisture availability. ESI data for 2002-2014 were compared with anomalies in spring barley and winter wheat crops - two major cereals grown in the Czech Republic. In general, ESI was a good predictor of yield anomalies 1-2 months prior to harvest. Better performance was observed in lowland agricultural districts in south Moravia which are more drought-prone, and somewhat lower performance in the highland areas where crop growth tends to be more energy-limited than water-limited. The information provided by this study will facilitate optimal integration of multiple crop indicators, including ESI, to generate routine yield forecasts for the Czech Republic.

Technical Abstract: There is a growing demand for timely, spatially distributed information regarding crop condition and water use to inform agricultural decision making and yield forecasting efforts. Remote sensing of land-surface temperature has proven valuable for mapping evapotranspiration (ET) and crop stress from field to global scales using energy balance models. This is because canopy temperature is strongly regulated by the transpiration flux, which is reduced under stress conditions. This study investigates the utility of the Atmosphere-Land Exchange Inverse (ALEXI) surface energy balance model in estimating ET and an associated Evaporative Stress Index (ESI) over the Czech Republic for the period 2002-2014. ESI timeseries, representing standardized anomalies in the actual-to-reference ET ratio and an indicator of vegetation health, are compared with yield data collected for winter wheat and spring barley crops in 32 agricultural districts, comprising a range of climatic conditions within the Czech Republic. Correlations between ESI and yield data vary with climatic region, with strongest correlations identified in the more drought-prone South Moravian districts and weaker relationships in the wetter Highlands regions. In most regions, correlations with spring barley yield anomalies exceeded performance for winter wheat. For both crops, correlations peaked during the 1-2 month period prior to the nominal harvest date. This work provides a framework for integrating information about crop progress from shortwave vegetation indices with thermal indicators of moisture and temperature constraints for routine within-season monitoring of crop health and forecasting of yield impacts.