Estimating distribution of growth stages of rice by satellite data

Photographs of rice fields were taken on the ground at several growth stages of rice, and leaf area cover ratios of the rice fields were computed with the photographs at each growth stage. A model of the relationship between the leaf area cover ratios and the growth stages of rice was generated using the data on the growth stages of rice surveyed by Japan Agriculture Echigo Santo. An image of vegetation cover density was generated using Bare soil Index and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index from Landsat TM data acquired during the growing period of rice ,from which a distribution image of the growth stages of rice divided into 4 classes was produced using the above model. Examining the distribution image using the data on the growth stages of rice surveyed by JA Echigo Santo, it demonstrated the effectiveness for estimating the growth stages of rice. This study showed a possibility that satellite data acquired before the earing season can be used for the control of fertilization before the earing ,a technology important for producing good quality rice