Submitted to: Remote Sensing Reviews
Publication Type: Review Article
Publication Acceptance Date: September 20, 2001
Publication Date: N/A
Technical Abstract: Dryland agricultural crops comprise the majority of the world's agricultural production. Crops produced throughout the world using only precipitation as the water source represent a wide range of species, production practices, and uses. Observations of these crops to understand their production, distribution, and management with remote sensing platforms has proven to be a challenge for a number of reasons. The development of vegetative indices (VI's) for dryland crops showed the necessity of understanding the role of soil background because in many crops there was a lack of complete ground cover. Studies conducted on a variety of species showed that VI's could be related to amount of plant biomass, leaf area, and amount of intercepted radiation. There have been several attempts to link thermal emittance with reflected radiation combine measures of plant stress (water, insects, disease, and weeds) with growth and development. Remote sensing of dryland crops has proven successful and current research is directed toward further development of tools that can be used for decision-making about crop and soil management. Incorporation of remotely sensed information into crop management decisions will improve water and nutrient use efficiency and enhance crop performance.