OPPORTUNITIES AND LIMITATIONS FOR IMAGE-BASED REMOTE-SENSING IN PRECISION CROP MANAGEMENT

This review addresses ha potential of image-based remote sensing to pr ovide spatially and temporally distributed information for precision c rop management (PCM). PCM is an agricultural management system designe d to target crop ann soil inputs according to within-field requirement s to optimize profitability and protect the environment. Progress in P CM has been hampered by a lack of timely, distributed information an c rop and soil conditions. Based on a review of the information requirem ents of PCM, eight areas were identified in which image-based remote s ensing technology could provide in formation that is currently lacking or inadequate. Recommendations were made for applications with potent ial for near-term implementation with available remote sensing technol ogy and instrumentation. We found that both aircraft- and satellite-ba sed remote sensing could provide valuable information for PCM applicat ions. Images from aircraft-based sensors have a unique role for monito ring seasonally variable crop/soil conditions and for time-specific an d time-critical crop management; current satellite-based sensors have limited, but important, applications; and upcoming commercial Earth ob servation satellites mall provide the resolution, timeliness, and high quality required for many PCM operations. The current limitations for image-based remote sensing applications are mainly due to sensor attr ibutes, such as restricted spectral range, coarse spatial resolution, slow turnaround time, and inadequate repeat coverage. According to exp erts in PCM, the potential market for remote sensing products in PCM i s good. Future work should be focused on assimilating remotely sensed information into existing decision support systems (DSS), acid conduct ing economic and technical analysis of remote sensing applications wit h season-long pilot projects. (C) Elsevier Science Inc., 1997.