Monitoring crop condition by scanning radiometry for determining spatially variable input

Abstract

Precision agriculture, the crop management concept that takes account of within-field spatial variability, offers the potential to reduce input costs, optimise the use of inputs and reduce environmental impact. There is thus considerable interest in the farming community in variable application of inputs to arable field crops. Variation of inputs at different locations within a field must be based on a rational determination of crop requirement.

Whilst considerable information on soil factors and their spatial variability may be gained by sampling, analysis, geostatistical interpolation and modelling, their relationship to crop growth remains complex. A more direct approach to determine spatially variable crop requirement is based on the concept that, 'The crop is the best sensor of its own environment.' The requirement then becomes to monitor the crop in such a way as to extract pertinent information from which an application map can be generated.