Digital images of a corn and soybean site in Ohio were acquired several tim
es during the growing season using a multispectral scanner mounted on an ai
rcraft. The goal of this study was to evaluate the use of this high spatial
resolution (1-m) data to identify corn and soybean crops at various growth
stages. Maximum distinction between corn and soybeans was achieved using t
he near-infrared bands when the crops were mature, while the visible bands
were more useful when the soybeans were senescing. Spectral class differenc
es were related to leaf nitrogen, soil water content, soil organic matter,
and plant biomass. An approach is presented for identifying corn and soybea
ns crops where little or no reference data are available. The approach is b
ased on the red and near-infrared bands and using the Simple Vegetation Ind
ex or the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index.