Abstract
Satellite imagery provides contiguous spatial coverage of a field and can be used to measure crop and soil attributes. In the last decade, remote sensing has been proved useful in guiding field management such as sowing, irrigation and fertilization, yet its potential in optimizing large-area crop harvest has not been explored. With a limited number of observations from Hongxing Farm in Northeast China, this paper first analyzes the influence of harvest date on yield. Optimal harvest date (OHD) was estimated for 41 sites in total based on maximum yield. Then the indicating ability of seven satellite-derived indices at different maturing stages for OHD was analyzed. These indices included NDVI (normalized difference vegetation index), soil adjusted vegetation index (SAVI), enhanced vegetation index (EVI), green normalized difference vegetation index (GNDVI), visible atmospherically resistant index (VARI), chlorophyll vegetation index (CVI) and normalized difference water index (NDWI). The analysis showed that there was a continuous increase of yield before maximum yields were reached and then a rather fast decrease occurred. All seven indices acquired from HJ-1 satellite are capable of predicting soybean OHD; EVI and NDWI performed better than other indices with higher correlation coefficients. The highest correlation coefficients between remote sensing indices and observed optimal harvest date were 0.723 and 0.720 for EVI and NDWI respectively. The temporal variation of correlation coefficient between seven indices and observed OHD suggests that the best time for OHD prediction is the period 2–3 weeks earlier than the general harvest. Stepwise regression analysis was undertaken and optimum regression expressions were constructed, taking optimal soybean harvest date as the dependent variable and remote sensed indices (EVI, NDWI and NDVI at suitable dates) as independent variables. An optimal soybean harvest date map of Hongxing Farm was produced with average standard error of 1.15 days. This knowledge may be of use when determining the best times to harvest soybean to obtain a higher yield.
Similar content being viewed by others
Abbreviations
- CCD:
-
Charge coupled device
- CRESDA:
-
China Centre for Resources Satellite Data and Application
- CROPGRO:
-
Crop growth
- CVI:
-
Chlorophyll vegetation index
- DAF:
-
Days after flowering
- EVI:
-
Enhanced vegetation index
- FLAASH:
-
Fast line-of-sight atmospheric analysis of spectral hypercubes
- GNDVI:
-
Green normalized difference vegetation index
- IRS:
-
Infrared Spectro-radiometer
- NDVI:
-
Normalized difference vegetation index
- NDWI:
-
Normalized difference water index
- OHD:
-
Optimal harvest date
- SAVI:
-
Soil adjusted vegetation index
- SRF:
-
Spectral response function
- STICS:
-
Simulateur multidiscplinaire pour les cultures standard
- TOA:
-
Top of atmosphere
- VARI:
-
Visible atmospherically resistant index
- WOFOST:
-
World food study
References
Adam, C. A., Fjerstad, M. C., & Rinne, R. W. (1983). Characteristics of soybean seed maturation: necessity for slow dehydration. Crop Science, 23(2), 265–267.
Boogard, H.L., van Diepen, C.A., Rotter, R.P., Cabrera, J.M.C.A., van Laar, H.H. (1998). User’s guide for the WOFOST 7.1 crop growth simulation model and WOFOST Control Center 1.5. Technical Document 52. DLO Winand Staring Centre, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
Brisson, N., Mary, B., Ripoche, D., Jeuffroy, M.H., Ruget, F., Nicoullaud, B., Gate, P., Devienne-Barret, F., Antonioletti, R., Durr, C., Richard, G., Beaudoin, N., Recous, S., Tayot, X., Plenet, D., Cellier, P., Machet, J.M., Meynard, J.M., & Dele´colle, R. (1998). STICS: a generic model for the simulation of crops and their water and nitrogen balances. I. Theory and parameterization applied to wheat and corn. Agronomie, 18 (5–6), 311–346.
Campos, J. C., Sillero, N., & Brito, J. C. (2012). Normalized difference water indexes have dissimilar performances in detecting seasonal and permanent water in the Sahara-Sahel transition zone. Journal of Hydrology, 464, 438–446.
Cox, S. (2002). Information technology: the global key to precision agriculture and sustainability. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture, 36(2–3), 93–111.
Cregan, P. B., & Hartwig, E. E. (1984). Characterization of flowering response to photoperiod in diverse soybean genotypes. Crop Science, 24(4), 659–662.
CropWatch bulletin (Vol 13, No. 7). Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth (Chinese Academy of Sciences) http://www.cropwatch.com.cn/htm/en/bulletin23.shtml. Accessed 9 Jult 2014.
Gao, B. (1996). NDWI—a normalized difference water index for remote sensing of vegetation liquid water from space. Remote Sensing of Environment, 58(3), 257–266.
Gitelson, A. A., Kaufman, Y. J., & Merzlyak, M. N. (1996). Use of a green channel in remote sensing of global vegetation from EOS-MODIS. Remote Sensing of Environment, 58(3), 289–298.
Gitelson, A. A., & Merzlyak, M. N. (1998). Remote sensing of chlorophyll concentration in higher plant leaves. Advances in Space Research, 22(5), 689–692.
Gitelson, A. A., Stark, R., Grifts, U., Rundquist, D., Kaufman, Y., & Derry, D. (2002). Vegetation and soil lines in visible spectral space: a concept and technique for remote estimation of vegetation fraction. International Journal of Remote Sensing, 23(13), 2537–2562.
Hill, J. E., & Briedenbach, R. W. (1974). Proteins of soybean seeds: II. Accumulation of the major protein components during seed development and maturation. Plant Physiology, 53(5), 747–751.
Huete, A. R. (1988). A soil-adjusted vegetation index (SAVI). Remote Sensing of Environment, 25(3), 295–309.
Huete, A., Justice, C., & Liu, H. (1994). Development of vegetation and soil indices for MODIS-EOS. Remote Sensing of Environment, 49(3), 224–234.
Huete, A. R., Liu, H. Q., Batchily, K., & van Leeuwen, W. (1997). A comparison of vegetation indices over a global set of TM images for EOS-MODIS. Remote Sensing of Environment, 59(3), 440–451.
Islami, T., and Yogi, S. (2012). The effect of planting date and harvesting time on the yield and seed quality of rainy season soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.). Journal of Agriculture and Food Technology, 2(4), 73–78.
Ji, L., Zhang, L., & Wylie, B. (2009). Analysis of dynamic thresholds for the normalized difference water index. Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing, 75(11), 1307–1317.
Jones, J.W., White, J., Boote, K., Hoogenboom, G., & Porter, C.H. (2000). Phenology Module in DSSAT v 4.0. Documentation and Source Code Listing. Agricultural and Biological Engineering Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL., USA.
Lu, M., & Wang, L. (1999). State of the soybean industry in the People’s Republic of China. In H. E. Kauffmann (Ed.), Proceedings of the World Soybean Research Conference VI, Chicago, IL, 4–7 August 1999 (pp. 1–5). Champaign, IL, USA: Superior Printing.
McFeeters, S. K. (1996). The use of the Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) in the delineation of open water features. International Journal of Remote Sensing, 17(7), 1425–1432.
Meng, J., Du, X., & Wu, B. (2013). Generation of high spatial and temporal resolution NDVI and its application in crop biomass estimation. International Journal of Digital Earth, 6(3), 203–218.
Meng, J., Wu, B., Chen, X., Du, X., Niu, L., & Zhang, F. (2011). Validation of HJ-1 B charge-coupled device vegetation index products with spectral reflectance of Hyperion. International Journal of Remote Sensing, 32(24), 9051–9070.
Nangju, D. (1977). Effect of date of harvest on seed quality and viability of soya beans. Journal of Agriculture Science, 89(1), 107–112.
Philbrook, B. D., & Oplinger, E. S. (1989). Soybean field losses as influenced by harvest delays. Agronomy Journal, 81(2), 251–258.
Pritchard, J. R. (1983). Oilseed quality requirements for processing. Journal of American Oil Chemist’s Society, 60(2), 322–332.
Rouse, J.W., Haas, R.H., Shell, J.A., Deering, D. W. (1974) Monitoring vegetation systems in the Great Plains with ERTS. Third earth resources technology satellite-1 symposium, 1, pp. 309–317. (Washington, D. C.: NASA Scientific and Technical Information Office).
Rubel, A., Rinne, R. W., & Canvin, D. T. (1972). Protein, oil and fatty acid in developing soybean seeds. Crop Science, 12(6), 739–741.
Saldivar, X., Wang, Y., Chen, P., & Hou, A. (2011). Changes in chemical composition during soybean seed development. Food Chemistry, 124(4), 1369–1375.
Setiyono, T. D., Weiss, A., Specht, J., Bastidas, A. M., Cassman, K. G., & Dobermann, A. (2007). Understanding and modeling the effect of temperature and daylength on soybean phenology under high-yield conditions. Field Crops Research, 100(2–3), 257–271.
Summerfield, R. J., & Wilcox, J. R. (1978). Effects of photoperiod and air temperature on growth and yield of economic legumes. In R. J. Summerfield & A. H. Bunting (Eds.), Advances in Legume Sciences (pp. 17–36). Kew, England: Royal Botanic Gardens.
Townshend, J. R. G., & Justice, C. O. (1986). Analysis of the dynamics of African vegetation using the normalized difference vegetation index. International Journal of Remote Sensing, 7(11), 1435–1446.
Vincini, M., Frazzi, E., & Alessio, P. D. (2008). A broad-band leaf chlorophyll vegetation index at the canopy scale. Precision Agriculture, 9(5), 303–319.
Wang, Q. (2012). Technical system design and construction of China’s HJ-1 satellites. International Journal of Digital Earth, 5(3), 202–216.
Wang, Z., Guo, T., Wu, X., Zheng, W., Liu, Z., & Zhang, M. (2009). Study on the influence of harvest time on the oil and yield of different mature period high-oil soybean. Chinese Agricultural Science Bulletin, 25(4), 74–77.
Xu, H. (2006). Modification of normalised difference water index (NDWI) to enhance open water features in remotely sensed imagery. International Journal of Remote Sensing, 27(14), 3025–3033.
Zhang, N., Wang, M., & Wang, N. (2002). Precision agriculture—a worldwide overview. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture, 36(2–3), 113–132.
Zhang, J., Zhang, L., Zhang, M., & Watson, C. (2009). Prediction of soybean growth and development using artificial neural network and statistical models. Acta Agronomica Sinica, 35(2), 341–347.
Acknowledgments
This work was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41171331, 41010118), the 863 Program of China (2013AA12A302, 2012AA12A307). We would like to thank Prof. Wu Bingfang for his valuable suggestions during the research, thank Dr. Zhang Miao and Dr. Dong Taifeng for sharing their experience in HJ-1 data pre-processing. Thanks go to Mr. Sun Hongjiang, Mr. Wang Qiang, Mr. Lv Jianzhao and Ms. Zhao Honglei for their extensive assistance in field survey. Additionally, we thank the CRESDA for providing the HJ-1 data.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Meng, J., Xu, J. & You, X. Optimizing soybean harvest date using HJ-1 satellite imagery. Precision Agric 16, 164–179 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11119-014-9368-3
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11119-014-9368-3