Agriculture Applications of Remote Sensing in Real-Time:

Decision making of nitrogen fertilization in wheat,

Saad & Gilat (South of Israel), Winter 2001.

The research goals :

1.  To produce a fertilization protocol for determining nitrogen amounts at different times, in order to improve the quantity and quality of the wheat yield. Nitrogen fertilization affects the amount of a grains quantity and protein percent. How ever, exaggerated fertilization might cause a yield loss or damage the soil and the ground water. Another problem is when to imply nitrogen, since the period of fertilization is supposed to have a different influence on quantity and quality of the wheat grains.

2.  To find indices for determining nitrogen amounts in each top-dressing fertilization. In general, decision-making is based on vegetation's indices. In practice, determination N amount is based on subjective qualitative criteria.

3. To imply remote sensing model to make the decisions. The remote sensing model enables mapping the spatial distribution of vegetation indices (e.g. where the wheat N amounts is low and where it is high) and enables to produce a yield forecasting maps. By analyzing those maps (up to 24 hours), it might be determined the nitrogen amounts according to (1) the wheat vigor, and (2) the monetary output.

4. To accomplish efficient decision making for determining Nitrogen fertilization in a certain wheat field, by comparing aerial-photography of the field to ground samples and to aerial-photography of 20 km. distant field. The remote sensing model needs ground samples to verify it’s the results. This goal seeks to minimize vegetation’s samples to one field, and by comparing the remote sensing databases, to extend recommendations to other fields.

5. To create an Internet-supported database in order to achieve a decision making process regardless long distance.

Database

First Data Collection, 09.01.01

Second Data Collection, 11.02.01

Therd Data Collection, 06.03.01

          Go back to Remote-Sensing and GIS Lab