NDVI Explanation Sheet - AgDrone System
- 1. 7929 SW Burns Way, STE A, Wilsonville, OR 97070: 503-563-6382 info@honeycombcorp.com www.honeycombcorp.com © 2015 HoneyComb Corporation AgDrone™ System VE Plant emergence (depends on temperature and moisture). VC Unifoliolate leaves unrolled in addition to cotyledons. One node. V1 One unrolled trifoliate leaf. Two nodes. V2 Two unrolled trifoliate leaves. Three nodes. Vn (n) number of trifoliate leaves unrolled; (n) + 1 number of nodes R1 Beginning bloom. At least x flower is present on the main stem. R5 Beginning seed. Seed/pod/fruit are x/x inch long on x of the top x nodes. R2 Full bloom. Flowers are found on any of the top x nodes. R6 Full seed. Pods are completely filled by seeds on one of the top x nodes. R3 Beginning pod. Seed/pod/fruit are x/x inch long on x of the top four nodes. R7 Beginning maturity. One mature seed/pod/fruit found on the plant. R4 Full pod. Seed/pod/fruit are x/x inch long on one of the top x nodes. R8 Full maturity. 95% seed/pod/fruit have reached mature seed/pod/fruit color. x = number of the referenced item The NDVI color bar above is the HoneyComb NDVI processed image spectrum. The colors are telling us where the growth is or the chlorophyll activity is. The colors to the right indicate the most growth/chlorophyll activity. During cool seasons images will mostly show colors to the left and middle. During summer, fields will tend to be mostly shades of green or show stress as yellow and red. As plants move through their growing season they develop more green phytomass that has active chlorophyll activity which shows as brighter colors. When you see pockets of color that are different from the surrounding area, that is an area you need to check on. You will have the coordinates of the area and can determine the next steps. Farmers know what their crop is, what their soil type is, and what the usual problems are. So the farmer/agronomist can usually decide quickly what action needs to be taken. Identifying crop stages is essential for proper management of pests and environmental problems. Generally, crop development can be divided into vegetative (V), reproductive (R), and growth (G) stages. The beginning of each stage starts when at least 50% of the plants are at that stage. Vegetative growth stages start with the crop emergence and reproductive growth stages start with the first flower. Growth of annual crops begins with generation of new foliage. This image of a pivot that is mostly alfalfa, with the top area being pastureland, is mostly dormant, G0. The yellow striping indicates G2+ growth has begun. This image is one month later than the previous image and is in G3 growth. However, it is showing G2 in some areas. These are problem areas. These three images were taken over a 6 day period by the AgDrone™ System. You can see how the growth stage has moved forward significantly in just days. The green indicates plant maturity. As with each crop you grow you should establish your regional vegetative, growth, and reproductive stages.