Canopy temperature: as an indicator of soil salinity (a case study in Syrdarya province, Uzbekistan)

Abstract

A shift in the temperature of the canopy may signify stress in the plants. In laboratory and greenhouse trials, using canopy temperature for the measurement salt stress in certain agricultural crops was thoroughly examined; however, its potential application in landscape-level investigations employing remote sensing methods has not yet been investigated at different time series. A satellite thermography for measuring the soil salinity of agricultural areas at the provincial level was the subject of our investigation. The research area was the irrigated, semi-arid, and salt-affected agricultural land appertain to Syrdarya province in Uzbekistan, which was mostly planted with wheat and cotton. The provincial soil salinity map was considered as a ground truth data and the moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer satellite (MODIS) data were perceived as an indication for canopy temperature in this study. We investigated the relationships between the soil salinity, the normalized difference vegetation index, and canopy temperature, using analysis of variance. The findings indicated a strong inverse correlation between canopy temperature and soil salinity, although this relationship changed throughout the experimental years. For cotton, the highest correlation was shown in September. In comparison to the other variables looked at, canopy temperature had higher computed F values. Our findings indicate that soil salinity may be detected at the landscape level using satellite thermography in regions where crops are being grown.