NDVI measurements as a predictor of Miscanthus × giganteus biomass

E. M. Pena-Yewtukhiw, J. H. Grove, C. Griffin, K. Fetter

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

Abstract

Miscanthus × giganteus is important to biofuel production. Normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) is useful in estimating vegetative biomass. The research objectives were to evaluate NDVI measurements, and their timing, as estimates of Miscanthus biomass and yield at harvest. Miscanthus was grown from 2010 through 2014 at five residual soil fertility levels resulting from annual applications of 0, 2.2, 4.5, 9.0, and 18.0 mg manure/ha from 2000 to 2005. The manure rates were laid out in a completely randomized design with eight replications. In 2014, a handheld Greenseeker™ (NTech Industries) sensor was used to determine NDVI from May 16 to June 25. Plant height was used as a proxy for biomass. Soil organic matter (SOM) and a suite of soil chemical properties related to soil fertility were determined. In 2014, SOM ranged from 27.9 to 47.1 g SOM/kg soil. Plant height/biomass differences due to residual fertility increased with time; taller plants resulted in greater NDVI values. Soil fertility did not affect NDVI prediction efficiency for Miscanthus height/biomass. Using a quadratic-plateau equation, NDVI data achieved saturation in late June, indicating that, from both practical (greatest spread in NDVI values) and statistical perspectives, early June was the best time to measure NDVI for yield prediction purposes.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationPrecision Agriculture 2015 - Papers Presented at the 10th European Conference on Precision Agriculture, ECPA 2015
EditorsJohn V. Stafford
Pages111-117
Number of pages7
ISBN (Electronic)9789086862672
DOIs
StatePublished - 2015
Event10th European Conference on Precision Agriculture, ECPA 2015 - Tel-Aviv, Israel
Duration: Jul 12 2015Jul 16 2015

Publication series

NamePrecision Agriculture 2015 - Papers Presented at the 10th European Conference on Precision Agriculture, ECPA 2015

Conference

Conference10th European Conference on Precision Agriculture, ECPA 2015
Country/TerritoryIsrael
CityTel-Aviv
Period7/12/157/16/15

Keywords

  • Efficiency
  • Growth
  • Miscanthus × giganteus
  • NDVI sensor
  • Soil fertility

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Agronomy and Crop Science
  • Computer Science Applications

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