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Leaf area index (LAI) is one of the most important parameters for determining grassland canopy conditions. LAI controls numerous biological and physical processes in grassland ecosystems. Remote-sensing techniques are effective for estimating grassland LAI at a regional scale. Comparison of LAI inversion methods based on remote sensing is significant for accurate estimation of LAI in particular areas. In this study, we developed and compared two inversion models to estimate the LAI of a temperate meadow steppe in Hulunbuir, Inner Mongolia, China, based on HJ-1 satellite data and field-measured LAI data. LAI was measured from early June to late August in 2013, obtained from 326 sampling data. The back propagation (BP) neural network method proved better than the statistical regression model for estimating grassland LAI, the accuracy of the former being 82.8%. We then explored the spatio-temporal distribution in LAI ofStipa baicalensisRoshev. in the meadow steppe of Hulunbuir, including cut, grazed, and fenced plots. The LAI in the cut and grazed plots reflected the growth variations inS. baicalensisRoshev. However, because of the obvious litter layer, the LAI in the fenced plots was underestimated. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]