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Mapping wheat nitrogen uptake from RapidEye vegetation indices

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Abstract

Mapping wheat nitrogen (N) uptake at 5 m spatial resolution could provide growers with new insights regarding nitrogen-use efficiency at the field scale. This study explored the use of spectral information from high resolution (5 × 5 m) RapidEye satellite data at peak leaf area index (LAI) to estimate end-of-season cumulative N uptake of wheat (Triticum spp.) in a heterogeneous, rainfed system. The primary objectives were to evaluate the usefulness of simple, widely used vegetation indices (VIs) from RapidEye as a tool to map crop N uptake over three growing seasons, farms and growing conditions, and to examine the usefulness of remotely sensed N uptake maps for precision agriculture applications. Data on harvested wheat N was collected at twelve plots over three seasons at four farms in the Palouse region of Northern Idaho and Eastern Washington. Seventeen commonly used spectral VIs were computed for images collected during ‘peak greenness’ (maximum LAI) to determine which VIs would be most appropriate for estimating wheat N uptake at harvest. The normalized difference red-edge index was the top performing VI, explaining 81 % of the variance in wheat N uptake with a regression slope of 1.06 and RMSE of 15.94 kg/ha. Model performance was strong across all farms over all three seasons regardless of crop variety, allowing the creation of high accuracy wheat N uptake maps. In conclusion, for this particular agro-ecosystem, mid-season VIs that incorporate the use of the NIR and red-edge bands are generally better predictors of end-of-season crop N uptake than VIs that do not include these bands, thereby further enabling their use in precision agriculture applications.

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Acknowledgments

Many thanks to Sam Finch, Jyoti Jennewein, Dave Uberaga, and Leanna Dann for experimental design and field support, and Drs. David R. Huggins, Erin Brooks, Caley Gasch, and David Brown for comments during previous versions and developments of this work. Images were made available through a data-for-data contract provided by RapidEye (Blackbridge: P. Rosso). We would also like to acknowledge the growers whose farms were used in this study, and for helpful insight and permission to use their land for research purposes. This research was made possible through funding provided by US Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA) award 2011-637003-3034 and the NASA Idaho Space Grant Fellowship awarded to TSM (#NNX10AM75H).

Author Contributions

TSM, JUHE, and LAV designed the experiment. TSM collected ground validation data. TSM conducted the analysis. TSM, JUHE, and LAV wrote the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Insititue of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA, 91109, USA

    Troy S. Magney

  2. Geospatial Laboratory for Environmental Dynamics, College of Natural Resources, University of Idaho, 875 Perimeter Dr MS 1133, Moscow, ID, 83844, USA

    Troy S. Magney, Jan U. H. Eitel & Lee A. Vierling

  3. McCall Outdoor Science School, College of Natural Resources, University of Idaho, 1800 University Lane, McCall, ID, 83638, USA

    Jan U. H. Eitel & Lee A. Vierling

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  1. Troy S. Magney
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  2. Jan U. H. Eitel
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  3. Lee A. Vierling
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Correspondence to Troy S. Magney.

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Magney, T.S., Eitel, J.U.H. & Vierling, L.A. Mapping wheat nitrogen uptake from RapidEye vegetation indices. Precision Agric 18, 429–451 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11119-016-9463-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11119-016-9463-8

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