Sentinel-2 Data for Precision Agriculture?-A UAV-Based Assessment.

Abstract

An approach of exploiting and assessing the potential of Sentinel-2 data in the context of precision agriculture by using data from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is presented based on a four-year dataset. An established model for the estimation of the green area index (GAI) of winter wheat from a UAV-based multispectral camera was used to calibrate the Sentinel-2 data. Large independent datasets were used for evaluation purposes. Furthermore, the potential of the satellite-based GAI-predictions for crop monitoring and yield prediction was tested. Therefore, the total absorbed photosynthetic radiation between spring and harvest was calculated with satellite and UAV data and correlated with the final grain yield. Yield maps at the same resolution were generated by combining yield data on a plot level with a UAV-based crop coverage map. The best tested model for satellite-based GAI-prediction was obtained by combining the near-, infrared- and Red Edge-waveband in a simple ratio (R 2 = 0.82, mean absolute error = 0.52 m 2 /m 2 ). Yet, the Sentinel-2 data seem to depict average GAI-developments through the seasons, rather than to map site-specific variations at single acquisition dates. The results show that the lower information content of the satellite-based crop monitoring might be mainly traced back to its coarser Red Edge-band. Additionally, date-specific effects within the Sentinel-2 data were detected. Due to cloud coverage, the temporal resolution was found to be unsatisfactory as well. These results emphasize the need for further research on the applicability of the Sentinel-2 data and a cautious use in the context of precision agriculture.

Plant phenotyping relevance

UAV・Sentinel-2データによる冬コムギのGAI推定法を校正・独立評価し、衛星ベース推定の性能と限界を検証しており、植物形質取得法が中心である。

Code and data availability

The paper's UAV/satellite phenotyping datasets and analysis code are not publicly deposited; the Data Availability Statement states they are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. No authors' public URL for these assets is provided. The only public URLs cited (DWD weather data, QGIS, R) are for,

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