Abstract
Appropriate field management requires methods of measuring plant height with high precision, accuracy, and resolution. Studies show that terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) is suitable for capturing small objects like crops. In this contribution, the results of multitemporal TLS surveys for monitoring plant height on paddy rice fields in China are presented. Three campaigns were carried out on a field experiment and on a farmer’s conventionally managed field. The high density of measurement points allows us to establish crop surface models with a resolution of 1 cm, which can be used for deriving plant heights. For both sites, strong correlations (each R 2 =0.91 between TLS-derived and manually measured plant heights confirm the accuracy of the scan data. A biomass regression model was established based on the correlation between plant height and biomass samples from the field experiment (R 2 =0.86 ). The transferability to the farmer’s field was supported with a strong correlation between simulated and measured values (R 2 =0.90 ). Independent biomass measurements were used for validating the temporal transferability. The study demonstrates the advantages of TLS for deriving plant height, which can be used for modeling biomass. Consequently, laser scanning methods are a promising tool for precision agriculture.
Highlights
The cultivation of rice is increasingly important in consequence of its role as a staple food, in particular for the rapidly growing Asian population
The plant growth is observable, which is determined as height difference between consecutive crop surface models (CSMs) and visualized as maps of plant growth
The results demonstrate the potential of terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) for accurate in situ measurement on paddy rice fields, which could be a validation for spaceborne remote sensing data
Summary
The cultivation of rice is increasingly important in consequence of its role as a staple food, in particular for the rapidly growing Asian population. In 2011, about 90% of the estimated world rice production, about 650 million tons, was produced in Asia.[1] Due to a further growing population with a constant or even decreasing cultivation area, a field management aiming at high production and sustainability of natural resources is required. For example, is positively correlated to biomass and nitrogen (N) translocation efficiency.[4] the over-fertilization with N by farmers is a major problem for soil and groundwater. Ways for enhancing the field management are necessary
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