Combining UAV-Based Multispectral and Thermal Images to Diagnosing Dryness Under Different Crop Areas on the Loess Plateau
Dryness is a critical limiting factor for achieving high agricultural productivity on China’s Loess Plateau (LP). High-precision, field-scale dryness monitoring is essential for the implementation of precision agriculture. However, obtaining dryness information with adequate spatial and temporal res...
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MDPI AG
2025-01-01
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| author | Juan Zhang Yuan Qi Qian Li Jinlong Zhang Rui Yang Hongwei Wang Xiangfeng Li |
| author_facet | Juan Zhang Yuan Qi Qian Li Jinlong Zhang Rui Yang Hongwei Wang Xiangfeng Li |
| author_sort | Juan Zhang |
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| description | Dryness is a critical limiting factor for achieving high agricultural productivity on China’s Loess Plateau (LP). High-precision, field-scale dryness monitoring is essential for the implementation of precision agriculture. However, obtaining dryness information with adequate spatial and temporal resolution remains a significant challenge. Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) systems can capture high-resolution remote sensing images on demand, but the effectiveness of UAV-based dryness indices in mapping the high-resolution spatial heterogeneity of dryness across different crop areas at the agricultural field scale on the LP has yet to be fully explored. Here, we conducted UAV–ground synchronized experiments on three typical croplands in the eastern Gansu province of the Loess Plateau (LP). Multispectral and thermal infrared sensors mounted on the UAV were used to collect high-resolution multispectral and thermal images. The temperature vegetation dryness index (TVDI) and the temperature–vegetation–soil moisture dryness index (TVMDI) were calculated based on UAV imagery. A total of 14 vegetation indices (VIs) were employed to construct various VI-based TVDIs, and the optimal VI was selected. Correlation analysis and Gradient Structure Similarity (GSSIM) were applied to evaluate the suitability and spatial differences between the TVDI and TVMDI for dryness monitoring. The results indicate that TVDIs constructed using the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and the visible atmospherically resistant index (VARI) were more consistent with the characteristics of crop responses to dryness stress. Furthermore, the TVDI demonstrated higher sensitivity in dryness monitoring compared with the TVMDI, making it more suitable for assessing dryness variations in rain-fed agriculture in arid regions. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-6243b0fc9cb74e88932d6e8abb277d6d |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2077-0472 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
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| series | Agriculture |
| spelling | doaj-art-6243b0fc9cb74e88932d6e8abb277d6d2025-01-24T13:15:47ZengMDPI AGAgriculture2077-04722025-01-0115212610.3390/agriculture15020126Combining UAV-Based Multispectral and Thermal Images to Diagnosing Dryness Under Different Crop Areas on the Loess PlateauJuan Zhang0Yuan Qi1Qian Li2Jinlong Zhang3Rui Yang4Hongwei Wang5Xiangfeng Li6Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Donggang West Road 320, Lanzhou 730000, ChinaNorthwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Donggang West Road 320, Lanzhou 730000, ChinaCollege of Agriculture and Forestry, Longdong University, Lanzhou Road 45, Lanzhou 745000, ChinaNorthwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Donggang West Road 320, Lanzhou 730000, ChinaNorthwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Donggang West Road 320, Lanzhou 730000, ChinaNorthwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Donggang West Road 320, Lanzhou 730000, ChinaCollege of Mathematics and Information Engineering, Longdong University, Lanzhou Road 45, Lanzhou 745000, ChinaDryness is a critical limiting factor for achieving high agricultural productivity on China’s Loess Plateau (LP). High-precision, field-scale dryness monitoring is essential for the implementation of precision agriculture. However, obtaining dryness information with adequate spatial and temporal resolution remains a significant challenge. Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) systems can capture high-resolution remote sensing images on demand, but the effectiveness of UAV-based dryness indices in mapping the high-resolution spatial heterogeneity of dryness across different crop areas at the agricultural field scale on the LP has yet to be fully explored. Here, we conducted UAV–ground synchronized experiments on three typical croplands in the eastern Gansu province of the Loess Plateau (LP). Multispectral and thermal infrared sensors mounted on the UAV were used to collect high-resolution multispectral and thermal images. The temperature vegetation dryness index (TVDI) and the temperature–vegetation–soil moisture dryness index (TVMDI) were calculated based on UAV imagery. A total of 14 vegetation indices (VIs) were employed to construct various VI-based TVDIs, and the optimal VI was selected. Correlation analysis and Gradient Structure Similarity (GSSIM) were applied to evaluate the suitability and spatial differences between the TVDI and TVMDI for dryness monitoring. The results indicate that TVDIs constructed using the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and the visible atmospherically resistant index (VARI) were more consistent with the characteristics of crop responses to dryness stress. Furthermore, the TVDI demonstrated higher sensitivity in dryness monitoring compared with the TVMDI, making it more suitable for assessing dryness variations in rain-fed agriculture in arid regions.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/15/2/126UAVdrynesstemperature vegetation dryness indextemperature–vegetation–soil moisture dryness indexcropsthe Loess Plateau |
| spellingShingle | Juan Zhang Yuan Qi Qian Li Jinlong Zhang Rui Yang Hongwei Wang Xiangfeng Li Combining UAV-Based Multispectral and Thermal Images to Diagnosing Dryness Under Different Crop Areas on the Loess Plateau Agriculture UAV dryness temperature vegetation dryness index temperature–vegetation–soil moisture dryness index crops the Loess Plateau |
| title | Combining UAV-Based Multispectral and Thermal Images to Diagnosing Dryness Under Different Crop Areas on the Loess Plateau |
| title_full | Combining UAV-Based Multispectral and Thermal Images to Diagnosing Dryness Under Different Crop Areas on the Loess Plateau |
| title_fullStr | Combining UAV-Based Multispectral and Thermal Images to Diagnosing Dryness Under Different Crop Areas on the Loess Plateau |
| title_full_unstemmed | Combining UAV-Based Multispectral and Thermal Images to Diagnosing Dryness Under Different Crop Areas on the Loess Plateau |
| title_short | Combining UAV-Based Multispectral and Thermal Images to Diagnosing Dryness Under Different Crop Areas on the Loess Plateau |
| title_sort | combining uav based multispectral and thermal images to diagnosing dryness under different crop areas on the loess plateau |
| topic | UAV dryness temperature vegetation dryness index temperature–vegetation–soil moisture dryness index crops the Loess Plateau |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/15/2/126 |
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