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Spaceborne instruments have an irreplaceable role in detecting fundamental vegetation features that link physical properties to ecological theory, but their success depends on our understanding of the complex dynamics that control plant spectral properties—a scale-dependent challenge. We explored differences between the warmer and cooler areas of tree canopies with a ground-based experimental layout consisting of a spectrometer and a thermal camera mounted on a portable crane that enabled synergies between thermal and spectral reflectance measurements at the fine scale. Thermal images were used to characterise the thermal status of different parts of a dense circular cluster of containerised trees, and their spectral reflectance was measured. The sensitivity of the method was found to be unaffected by complex interactions. A statistically significant difference in both reflectance in the visible (VIS), near-infrared (NIR), and shortwave infrared (SWIR) bands and absorption features related to the chlorophyll, carotenoid, and water absorption bands was found between the warmer and cooler parts of the canopy. These differences were reflected in the Photochemical Reflectance Index with values decreasing as surface temperature increases and were related to higher carotenoid content and lower Leaf Area Index (LAI) values of the warmer canopy areas. With the increasingly improving resolution of data from airborne and spaceborne visible, near-infrared, and shortwave infrared (VSWIR) imaging spectrometers and thermal infrared (TIR) instruments, the results of this study indicate the potential of synergies between thermal and spectral measurements for the purpose of more accurately assessing the complex biochemical and biophysical characteristics of vegetation canopies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The habitat use of wild ungulates is determined by forage availability, but also the avoidance of predation and human disturbance. They should apply foraging strategies that provide the most energy at the lowest cost. However, due to data limitations at the scale of movement trajectories, it is not clear to what extent even well-studied species such as red deer (Cervus elaphus) trade-off between forage quality and quantity, especially in heterogeneous alpine habitats characterized by short vegetation periods. Methods: We used remote sensing data to derive spatially continuous forage quality and quantity information. To predict relative nitrogen (i.e. forage quality) and biomass (i.e. forage quantity), we related field data to predictor variables derived from Sentinel-2 satellite data. In particular, our approach employed random forest regression algorithms, integrating various remote sensing variables such as reflectance values, vegetation indices and optical traits derived from a radiative transfer model. We combined these forage characteristics with variables representing human activity, and applied integrated step selection functions to estimate sex-specific summer habitat selection of red deer in open habitats within and around the Swiss National Park, an alpine Strict Nature Reserve. Results: The combination of vegetation indices and optical traits greatly improved predictive power in both the biomass (R2 = 0.60, Root mean square error (RMSE) = 88.55 g/m2) and relative nitrogen models (R2 = 0.34, RMSE = 0.28%). Both female and male red deer selected more strongly for biomass (estimate = 0.672 ± 0.059 SE for normalised values for females, and 0.507 ± 0.061 for males) than relative nitrogen (estimate = 0.124 ± 0.062 for females, and 0.161 ± 0.061 for males, respectively). Females showed higher levels of use of the Swiss National Park. Conclusions: Red deer in summer habitats select forage quantity over quality with little difference between sexes. Females respond more strongly to human activities and thus prefer the Swiss National Park. Our results demonstrate the capability of satellite data to estimate forage quality and quantity separately for movement ecology studies, going beyond the exclusive use of conventional vegetation indices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grasslands are one of the most abundant and biodiverse ecosystems in the world. However, in southern European countries, the abandonment of traditional management activities, such as extensive grazing, has caused many semi-natural grasslands to be invaded by shrubs. Therefore, there is a need to characterize semi-natural grasslands to determine their aboveground primary production and livestock-carrying capacity. Nevertheless, current methods lack a realistic identification of vegetation assemblages where grassland biophysical parameters can be accurately retrieved by the inversion of turbid-medium radiative transfer models (RTMs) in fine-grained landscapes. To this end, in this study we proposed a novel framework in which multiple endmember spectral mixture analysis (MESMA) was implemented to realistically identify grassland-dominated pixels from Sentinel-2 imagery in heterogeneous mountain landscapes. Then, the inversion of PROSAIL RTM (coupled PROSPECT and SAIL leaf and canopy models) was implemented separately for retrieving grassland biophysical parameters, including the leaf area index (LAI), fractional vegetation cover (FCOVER), and aboveground biomass (AGB), from grassland-dominated Sentinel-2 pixels while accounting for non-vegetated areas at the subpixel level. The study region was the southern slope of the Cantabrian Mountains (Spain), with a high spatial variability of fine-grained land covers. The MESMA grassland fraction image had a high accuracy based on validation results using centimetric resolution aerial orthophotographs (R2 = 0.74, and RMSE = 0.18). The validation with field reference data from several mountain passes of the southern slope of the Cantabrian Mountains featured a high accuracy for LAI (R2 = 0.74, and RMSE = 0.56 m2·m−2), FCOVER (R2 = 0.78 and RMSE = 0.07), and AGB (R2 = 0.67, and RMSE = 43.44 g·m−2). This study provides a reliable method to accurately identify and estimate grassland biophysical variables in highly diverse landscapes at a regional scale, with important implications for the management and conservation of threatened semi-natural grasslands. Future studies should investigate the PROSAIL inversion over the endmember signatures and subpixel fractions depicted by MESMA to adequately address the parametrization of the underlying background reflectance by using prior information and should also explore the scalability of this approach to other heterogeneous landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The integration of the Crop Growth Model (CGM), Radiative Transfer Model (RTM), and Machine Learning Algorithm (MLA) for estimating crop traits represents a cutting-edge area of research. This integration requires in-depth study to address RTM limitations, particularly of similar spectral responses from multiple input combinations. This study proposes the integration of CGM and RTM for crop trait retrieval and evaluates the performance of CGM output-based RTM spectra generation for multiple crop traits estimation without biased sampling using machine learning models. Moreover, PROSAIL spectra as training against Harmonized Landsat Sentinel-2 (HLS) as testing was also compared with HLS data only as an alternative. It was found that satellite data (HLS, 80:20) not only consistently performed better, but PROSAIL (train) and HLS (test) also had satisfactory results for multiple crop traits from uniform training samples in spite of differences in simulated and real data. PROSAIL-HLS has an RMSE of 0.67 for leaf area index (LAI), 5.66 µg/cm2 for chlorophyll ab (Cab), 0.0003 g/cm2 for dry matter content (Cm), and 0.002 g/cm2 for leaf water content (Cw) against the HLS only, with an RMSE of 0.40 for LAI, 3.28 µg/cm2 for Cab, 0.0002 g/cm2 for Cm, and 0.001 g/cm2 for Cw. Optimized machine learning models, namely Extreme Gradient Boost (XGBoost) for LAI, Support Vector Machine (SVM) for Cab, and Random Forest (RF) for Cm and Cw, were deployed for temporal mapping of traits to be used for wheat productivity enhancement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate and rapid estimation of the leaf area index (LAI) is essential for assessing crop growth and nutritional status, guiding farm management, and providing valuable phenotyping data for plant breeding. Compared to the tedious and time-consuming manual measurements of the LAI, remote sensing has emerged as a valuable tool for rapid and accurate estimation of the LAI; however, the empirical inversion modeling methods face challenges of low efficiency for actual LAI measurements and poor model interpretability. The integration of radiative transfer models (RTMs) can overcome these problems to some extent. The aim of this study was to explore the potential of combining the PROSAIL model with high-resolution unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) multispectral imaging to estimate the LAI across different growth stages at the plot scale. In this study, four inversion strategies for estimating the LAI were tested. Firstly, two types of lookup tables (LUTs) were built to estimate potato LAI of different varieties across different growth stages. Specifically, LUT1 was based on band reflectance, and LUT2 was based on vegetation index. Secondly, the hybrid models combining LUTs generated by PROSAIL and two machine learning algorithms (random forest (RF), Partial Least Squares Regression (PLSR)) are built to estimate potato LAI. The determination of coefficient (R2) of models for estimating LAI by LUTs ranged from 0.24 to 0.64. The hybrid method that integrates UAV multispectral, PROSAIL, and machine learning significantly improved the accuracy of LAI estimation. Compared to the results based on LUT2, the hybrid model achieved higher accuracy with the R2 of the inversion model improved by 30% to 263%. The LAI retrieval model using the PROSAIL model and PLSR achieved an R2 as high as 0.87, while the R2 using the RF algorithm ranged from 0.33 to 0.81. The proposed hybrid model, integrated with UAV multispectral data, PROSAIL, and PLSR can achieve approximate accuracy compared with the empirical inversion models, which can alleviate the labor-intensive process of handheld LAI measurements for building inversion models. Thus, the hybrid approach provides a feasible and efficient strategy for estimating the LAI of potato varieties across different growth stages at the plot scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Detailed three-dimensional (3D) radiative transfer models (RTMs) enable a clear understanding of the interactions between light, biochemistry, and canopy structure, but they are rarely explicitly evaluated due to the availability of 3D canopy structure data, leading to a lack of knowledge on how canopy structure/leaf characteristics affect radiative transfer processes within forest ecosystems. In this study, the newly released 3D RTM Eradiate was extensively evaluated based on both virtual scenes reconstructed using the quantitative structure model (QSM) by adding leaves to point clouds generated from terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) data, and real scenes monitored by Sentinel-2 in a typical temperate deciduous forest. The effects of structural parameters on reflectance were investigated through sensitivity analysis, and the performance of the 3D model was compared with the 5-Scale and PROSAIL radiative transfer models. The results showed that the Eradiate-simulated reflectance achieved good agreement with the Sentinel-2 reflectance, especially in the visible and near-infrared spectral regions. Furthermore, the simulated reflectance, particularly in the blue and shortwave infrared spectral bands, was clearly shown to be influenced by canopy structure using the Eradiate model. This study demonstrated that the Eradiate RTM, based on the 3D explicit representation, is capable of providing accurate radiative transfer simulations in the temperate deciduous forest and hence provides a basis for understanding tree interactions and their effects on ecosystem structure and functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Assessing Leaf Area Index (LAI) is one of the key indicators to study and understand cropland's productivity. To this end, Sentinel-2 (S2) ideally serves to monitor LAI given its high spatial and temporal resolution. Thanks to the cloud computing prowess of the revolutionary Google Earth Engine (GEE), assessing the temporal changes in LAI over a large area can be achieved quickly, making crop health monitoring in near real-time plausible. To achieve this, this work has integrated the Gaussian Process Regression (GPR) algorithm and the PROSAIL model into GEE to map LAI values for the crops being cultivated accurately. The Automated Radiative Transfer Mode Operator (ARTMO) software generated PROSAIL simulation spectra. The GPR model was trained using the PROSAIL simulation spectra and optimized through the Euclidean distance-Based Diversity (EBD) Active Learning (AL) method. The final GPR model was validated against in-situ data collected on 23rd February, 2023 from the research farms of the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi, India. Through ARTMO, the validated GPR model produced an estimated LAI map over croplands managed by IARI, with an accuracy of 0.688 R2 value, and these LAI values and a precision of 0.96 R2 were observed between the LAI values observed in the ARTMO LAI map and the GEE-generated map. This model was then run into GEE to study the temporal changes in LAI values for Mustard, Chickpea, and Wheat, three prominent crops for the Rabi season. These temporal LAI patterns can assist in understanding the cropland's phenological changes. Thanks to GEE, crop phenology monitoring can be efficiently realized using temporal LAI estimates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACTAccurate monitoring of the leaf area index (LAI) and aboveground biomass (AGB) using remote sensing at a fine scale is crucial for understanding the spatial heterogeneity of vegetation structure in mountainous ecosystems. Understanding discrepancies in various retrieval strategies considering topographic effects or not is necessary to improve LAI and AGB estimations over mountainous areas. In this study, the performances of the look-up table method (LUT) using radiative transfer model (RTM), machine learning algorithms (MLAs), and hybrid RTM integrating RTM and MLAs based on Landsat surface reflectance (SR) before and after topographic correction were compared and analyzed. The results show that topographic correction improves the accuracies of retrieval methods involving RTM more significantly than the MLAs, meanwhile, it reduces the performance variability of different MLAs. Based on the topographically corrected Landsat SR, the random forest (RF) combined with RTM improves the retrieval accuracy of RTM-based LUT by 7.7% for LAI and 13.8% for AGB, and reduces the simulation error of MLA by 15.1% for LAI and 20.1% for AGB. Compared with available remote sensing products, the hybrid RTM based on Landsat SR with topographic correction has better feasibility to capture LAI and AGB variation at 30 m scale over mountainous areas.

ABSTRACTInverting grassland above-ground biomass (AGB) presents a significant challenge due to difficulties in characterizing leaf physiological states and obtaining accurate ground-truth data. This study introduces an innovative hybrid model for AGB inversion based on the AGB = leaf mass per area (LMA) * leaf area index (LAI) paradigmn in the Ewenki Banner region of Inner Mongolia. The model integrates the PROSAIL radiative transfer model, machine learning regression, LEnKF data assimilation theory, multisource remote sensing, and meteorological data, following a four-step approach. Firstly, we establish LAI and LMA inversion models by combining the PROSAIL model with machine learning techniques. Secondly, data assimilation fuses the PROSAIL-derived LAI with MODIS-LAI. In the third phase, a Random Forest predictive model is developed for LMA estimation. Lastly, the accuracy of the hybrid model is assessed using empirical data. Precision evaluation with ground-truth samples demonstrates that the assimilated LAI and RF-predicted LMA yield the lowest prediction error for grassland AGB (RMSE = 0.0033 g/cm2; MAE = 0.0028 g/cm2). This model framework addresses the challenge of limited prior knowledge in the PROSAIL-AGB prediction model, thereby enhancing the prediction accuracy while maintaining its key advantages: providing continuous observations at high spatiotemporal resolutions without relying on measured sample data.

This paper describes the selected algorithm for the ESA climate change initiative vegetation parameters project. Multi- and hyper-spectral, multi-angular, or multi-sensor top-of-canopy reflectance data call for an efficient generic retrieval system which can improve the consistent retrieval of standard canopy parameters as albedo, Leaf Area Index (LAI), Fraction of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (fAPAR) and their uncertainties, and exploit the information to retrieve additional parameters (e.g. leaf pigments). We present a retrieval system for canopy and sub-canopy parameters (OptiSAIL), which is based on a model comprising SAIL (canopy reflectance), PROSPECT-D (leaf properties), TARTES (snow properties), a soil model (soil reflectance anisotropy, moisture effect), and a cloud contamination model. The inversion is gradient based and uses codes created by Automatic Differentiation. The full per pixel covariance-matrix of the retrieved parameters is computed. For this demonstration, single observation data from the Sentinel-3 SY_2_SYN (synergy) product is used. The results are compared with the MODIS 4-day LAI/fAPAR product and PhenoCam site photography. OptiSAIL produces generally consistent and credible results, at least matching the quality of the technically quite different MODIS product. The system is computationally efficient with a rate of 150 pixel s−1 (7 ms per pixel) for a single thread on a current desktop CPU using observations on 26 bands. Not all of the model parameters are well determined in all situations. Significant correlations between the parameters are found, which can change sign and magnitude over time. OptiSAIL appears to meet the design goals and puts real-time processing with this kind of system into reach.

Plant foliage is known to respond rapidly to environmental stressors by adjusting leaf orientation at different timescales. One of the most fascinating mechanisms is paraheliotropism, also known as light avoidance through leaf movement. The leaf orientation (zenith and azimuth angles) is a parameter often overlooked in the plant and remote sensing community due to its challenging measurement procedures under field conditions. In this study, we investigate the synergistic potential of uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV)-based mutlispectral imaging, terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) and radiative transfer model (RTM) inversion to identify the paraheliotropic response of two distinct soybean varieties: Minngold, a chlorophyll-deficient mutant, and Eiko, a wild variety. We examined their responses to drought stress during the boreal summer drought in 2022 in western Germany by measuring average leaf inclination angle (ALIA) and canopy reflectance. Measurements were taken in the morning and at midday to track leaf movement. Our observations show significant differences between the paraheliotropic response of both varieties. Eiko’s terminal and lateral leaves became vertically erect in the midday (54→61∘), while Minngold’s ALIA remained largely unchanged (52→57∘). Apart from the vertical leaf movement, we also observed leaf inversion (exposing the abaxial side of the leaf) in Eiko under extreme water scarcity. The red edge band at 740 nm showed the strongest correlation with ALIA (r2=0.52−0.76) The ratio of the far red edge to near infrared (RE740/NIR842) vegetation index compensated for varying light levels during morning and afternoon measurements, exhibiting strong correlations with ALIA when considering only sun-lit leaf spectra (r2=0.72). The retrieval of ALIA with PROSAIL varied based on ALIA constraints and the spectra used for retrieval (full spectrum or the combination of bands 742 and 842), resulting in a root mean square error (RMSE) of 7.7-12.9°. PROSAIL faced challenges in simulating the spectra of plots with very low LAI due to the soil background. This study made the first attempt to observe different paraheliotropic responses of two soybean varieties with UAV-based multispectral imaging. Proximal sensing opens up the possibilities to observe early stress indicators such as paraheliotropism, at much higher spatial and temporal resolution than ever before.

Biophysical variables such as leaf area index (LAI) and leaf chlorophyll content (LCC) are cited as essential biodiversity variables. A comprehensive comparison and integration of retrieval methods is needed for the estimation of biophysical variables such as LAI and LCC over a multispecies grass canopy. This study tested an assortment of five potentially robust, nonparametric regression methods (NPRMs) for inversion of radiative transfer model (RTM) to retrieve grass LAI and LCC in the Marakele National Park (MNP) of South Africa. The NPRMs used were, namely (i) Partial least squares regression (PLSR), (ii) Principle components regression (PCR), (iii) Kernel ridge regression (KRR), (iv) Random forest regression (RFR), and (v) K-nearest neighbours regression (KNNR). Furthermore, the study attempted to constrain the inversion process by using active learning (AL) techniques which ensured the selection of informative samples from a large pool of RTM simulations. Results show the most accurate grass LAI and LCC retrievals had lower relative root mean squared errors (RRMSEs) of 39.87% and 16.58% respectively. These findings have significant implications for the development of transferable rangeland monitoring systems in protected mountainous regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The leaf area index (LAI) of grassland is critical for estimating the balance of livestock and livestock production, understanding the dynamics of climate change, and providing feedback for achieving sustainable development. The currently available LAI products have some uncertainties and need to be further improved. Previous studies proposed that integrating the physical model and machine learning (ML) has great potential for the rapid and accurate retrieval of grassland LAI. However, there are few comparative studies on LAI forecast models for different grassland cover to assess the potential of the different hybrid models. Therefore, in this study, five hybrid models based on PROSAIL and ML including deep neural network (DNN), random forest (RF), gradient boosting regression tree (GBRT), support vector machine (SVR), and artificial neural network (ANN) and five mixed models averaging are applied to compare the performance with different forecast models for grassland LAI estimation in Tianzhu County. According to the multiple training, validation, and testing, the results demonstrate that five mixed models averaging and DNN model with a complex network structure are reliable and have higher accuracy and better performance than the estimates from the other four hybrid models, except for its computational efficiency. SVR achieves the best performance in computational efficiency, which it has great potentials to deliver near-real-time operational products for grassland LAI management. Our results show that the hybrid model based on machine learning algorithm coupled with physical process model has great application potential in grassland leaf area index inversion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grasslands play a vital role in the global ecosystem. Efficient and reproducible methods for estimating the grassland aboveground biomass (AGB) are crucial for understanding grassland growth, promoting sustainable development, and assessing the carbon cycle. Currently, the available methods are limited by their computational inefficiency, model transfer, and sampling scale. Therefore, in this study, the estimation of grassland AGB over a large area was achieved by coupling the PROSAIL model with the support vector machine regression (SVR) method. The ill-posed inverse problem of the PROSAIL model was mitigated through kernel-based regularization using the SVR model. The Zoigê Plateau was used as the case study area, and the results demonstrated that the estimated biomass accurately reproduced the reference AGB map generated by zooming in on on-site measurements (R2 = 0.64, RMSE = 43.52 g/m2, RRMSE = 15.13%). The estimated AGB map also maintained a high fitting accuracy with field sampling data (R2 = 0.69, RMSE = 44.07 g/m2, RRMSE = 14.21%). Further, the generated time-series profiles of grass AGB for 2022 were consistent with the trends in local grass growth dynamics. The proposed method combines the advantages of the PROSAIL model and the regression algorithm, reduces the dependence on field sampling data, improves the universality and repeatability of grassland AGB estimation, and provides an efficient approach for grassland ecosystem construction and planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest canopy fuel moisture content (FMC) is a critical factor in assessing the vulnerability of a specific area to forest fires. The conventional FMC estimation method, which relies on look-up tables and loss functions, cannot to elucidate the relationship between FMC and simulated data from look-up tables. This study proposes a novel approach for estimating FMC by combining enhanced vegetation index (EVI) and normalized difference moisture index (NDMI). The method employs the PROSAIL + PROGeoSAIL two-layer coupled radiation transfer model to simulate the vegetation index, the water index, and the FMC value, targeting the prevalent double-layer structure in the study area's vegetation distribution. Additionally, a look-up table is constructed through numerical analysis to investigate the relationships among vegetation indices, water indices, and FMC. The results reveal that the polynomial equations incorporating vegetation and water indices as independent variables exhibit a strong correlation with FMC. Utilizing the EVI–NDMI joint FMC estimation method enables the direct estimation of FMC. The collected samples from Dali were compared with the estimated values, revealing that the proposed method exhibits superior accuracy (R2 = 0.79) in comparison with conventional FMC estimation methods. In addition, we applied this method to estimate the FMC in the Chongqing region one week before the 2022 forest fire event, revealing a significant decreasing trend in regional FMC leading up to the fire outbreak, highlighting its effectiveness in facilitating pre-disaster warnings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chlorophyll is both a cornerstone of plant photosynthesis and an important indicator for assessing crop growth and health. Although many previous studies have explored the use of remote sensing to retrieve chlorophyll content, there is room for improvement in the proposed retrieval models, especially the hybrid model, and its performance in combination with multi-angle remote sensing remains unknown. To this end, we developed a hybrid chlorophyll retrieval model by coupling PROSAIL, Gaussian process regression, and continuous wavelet transform (CWT) based on multi-angle (−60° to 60°) hyperspectral observations of maize. The CWT converts PROSAIL-modeled and measured spectral reflectance into wavelet features (WF) that finely capture signals due to chlorophyll changes, making WF-based hybrid models (HMWF) promising for enhanced chlorophyll retrieval. Our results show that for leaf chlorophyll content (LCC) and canopy chlorophyll content (CCC) retrieval, combining low and medium scale WFs (scales3-5) with hybrid models is more advantageous than using other scale WFs. The accuracy of the HMWF based on the best-scale WF was significantly higher than that of the hybrid model based on original spectrum or vegetation indices. Additionally, our evaluation of the effect of viewing zenith angles (VZAs) on HMWF showed that the accuracies of HMWF acquired at non-nadir angles were generally higher than those acquired at nadir angle. Among all models, the HMWF based on the scale3 WF had the highest accuracy at −10°, with R2 = 0.85 and RMSE=3.55 for LCC retrievals, and R2 = 0.78 and RMSE=0.22 for CCC retrievals. Furthermore, the HMWF showed the least sensitivity to changes in VZAs, especially in the range of −10° to −40°. Overall, these findings highlight the effectiveness of HMWF with multi-angle hyperspectral data in improving chlorophyll retrieval accuracy. This study serves as a reference for crop parameter retrieval, crucial for advancing agricultural monitoring and management.

Accurate and rapid estimation of the leaf area index (LAI) is essential for assessing crop growth and nutritional status, guiding farm management, and providing valuable phenotyping data for plant breeding. Compared to the tedious and time-consuming manual measurements of the LAI, remote sensing has emerged as a valuable tool for rapid and accurate estimation of the LAI; however, the empirical inversion modeling methods face challenges of low efficiency for actual LAI measurements and poor model interpretability. The integration of radiative transfer models (RTMs) can overcome these problems to some extent. The aim of this study was to explore the potential of combining the PROSAIL model with high-resolution unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) multispectral imaging to estimate the LAI across different growth stages at the plot scale. In this study, four inversion strategies for estimating the LAI were tested. Firstly, two types of lookup tables (LUTs) were built to estimate potato LAI of different varieties across different growth stages. Specifically, LUT1 was based on band reflectance, and LUT2 was based on vegetation index. Secondly, the hybrid models combining LUTs generated by PROSAIL and two machine learning algorithms (random forest (RF), Partial Least Squares Regression (PLSR)) are built to estimate potato LAI. The determination of coefficient (R2) of models for estimating LAI by LUTs ranged from 0.24 to 0.64. The hybrid method that integrates UAV multispectral, PROSAIL, and machine learning significantly improved the accuracy of LAI estimation. Compared to the results based on LUT2, the hybrid model achieved higher accuracy with the R2 of the inversion model improved by 30% to 263%. The LAI retrieval model using the PROSAIL model and PLSR achieved an R2 as high as 0.87, while the R2 using the RF algorithm ranged from 0.33 to 0.81. The proposed hybrid model, integrated with UAV multispectral data, PROSAIL, and PLSR can achieve approximate accuracy compared with the empirical inversion models, which can alleviate the labor-intensive process of handheld LAI measurements for building inversion models. Thus, the hybrid approach provides a feasible and efficient strategy for estimating the LAI of potato varieties across different growth stages at the plot scale.

Sustainable agricultural growth and management reduces over-utilization of farm resources and squeezes risk of negative impacts on environment. Monitoring continuous crop growth and health under various conditions at different spatio-temporal resolutions is a key to assess yield stability, crop diversity, adaptability, mitigation for stress and response. The quantification of crop biophysical and biochemical variables spatially from remotely sensed data with help of spectroscopic methods provide a reliable discerning information in the context of crop foliar condition like leaf greenness, senescence, canopy density, crop growth, stress and eco-physiological processes. Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer-Next Generation (AVIRIS-NG) airborne hyperspectral data offers high spatial and spectral resolution giving a unique advantage and opportunity to test retrievals of crop biophysical (BP)-biochemical (BC) variables under varying conditions over different types of crops. A hybrid inversion of leaf-canopy Radiative Transfer model – PROSAIL-D complemented with use of data driven nonlinear non-parametric methods which offer simplicity, fastness, reliability and competency is a powerful method to retrieve crop biophysical and biochemical variables. The Hyperspectral band (feature) selection is a computationally cost efficient method to overcome data redundancy in high dimensional correlated input spectral bands. The determination of optimum subset or combination of hyperspectral bands specific to retrieval of vegetation properties (including canopy effects) determined using feature selection algorithm for regression-based retrievals are active research topic unlike classification problems in which it is more common. A band selection algorithm based on Gaussian Processes Regression was used to choose most sensitive bands from in-situ biophysical-biochemical measurements and crop spectral signatures collected for analysis in two different agricultural regions: Raichur (Karnataka) and Anand (Gujarat) districts of India representing diverse landscapes, heterogeneous crop canopies and agro climatic settings. The retrieval algorithm for AVIRIS-NG image employed a decision tree ensemble algorithm Canonical Correlation Forests using the optimum subset of bands for retrieval of targeted crop variable. Validation of retrieved crop variables were done using in-situ ground observations collected over heterogeneous diverse crop landscape. The results showed chlorophyll (RMSE = 6.61 µg cm−2), equivalent water thickness (RMSE = 0.002 cm), leaf area index (RMSE = 0.35 m2/m−2) and dry matter (RMSE = 0.003 g cm−2), carotenoid (RMSE = 14.3 µg cm−2), anthocyanin (RMSE = 12.92 µg cm−2) retrieved with better accuracies. The results obtained in context of feature (band) selection approach for Radiative Transfer model inversion show overlapping of sensitive spectral bands of chlorophyll-ab, carotenoid and anthocyanin especially between narrow spectral range 480 to 560 nm as predominant reason for decreased accuracies of anthocyanin and carotenoid compared to other variable. This poses a limitation as well as opportunity for further research in signal separation in context of feature selection approach especially in context of broader spectral bandwidths. It also sets ground for further development of feature selection algorithms that use hybrid regression methods customized for crop specific traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radiative transfer models (RTMs) provide reliable information about crop yield and traits with high resource efficiency. In this study, we have conducted a systematic literature review (SLR) to fill the gaps in the overall insight of RTM-based crop yield prediction (CYP) and crop traits retrieval. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, 76 articles were found to be relevant to crop traits retrieval and 15 for CYP. China had the highest number of RTM applications (33), followed by the USA (13). Crop-wise, cereals, and traits-wise, leaf area index (LAI) and chlorophyll, had a high number of research studies. Among RTMs, the PROSAIL model had the highest number of articles (62), followed by SCOPE (6) with PROSAIL accuracy for CYP (median R2 = 0.62) and crop traits (median R2 = 0.80). The same was true for crop traits retrieval with LAI (CYP median R2 = 0.62 and traits median R2 = 0.85), followed by chlorophyll (crop traits median R2 = 0.70). Document co-citation analysis also found the relevancy of selected articles within the theme of this SLR. This SLR not only focuses on information about the accuracy and reliability of RTMs but also provides comprehensive insight towards understanding RTM applications for crop yield and traits, further exploring possibilities of new endeavors in agriculture, particularly crop yield modeling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, hyperspectral remote sensing technology used for vegetation monitoring mainly uses empirical and semi-empirical statistical methods to calculate heavy metal content. Combining physical models and machine learning algorithms is an effective method for estimating biochemical vegetation parameters without much ground measurement data. However, a deep extreme learning machine (DELM) has a faster training speed and better generalization ability. By introducing the Aquila Optimizer (AO) algorithm, the training process of the DELM method can be accelerated. This study combined the PROSAIL model, chlorophyll concentration information, and vegetation SO2 purification ability, and comprehensively applied physical and empirical models to analyze the optical characteristics of the urban forest SO2 purification rate and other factors. A coupled model (PROSAIL + AO + DELM) was constructed to simulate urban forests canopy SO2 purification ability and was then applied to remote sensing inversion. These results indicated that the Syringa oblate Lindl. (S. oblate) and Ulmus pumila “Jinye” (U. pumila) had moderate SO2 purification capacities, whereas that of Prunus cerasifera var. atropurpurea Jack. (P. cerasifera) were low. The SO2 purification rate was highly sensitive in the green, red, and red-edge spectral ranges. In the SO2 purification rate estimation model constructed by the subset (Corresponding to Sentinel-2 band), NDI, DI, and RVI indices, the PROSAIL + AO + DELM model had the best performance, with R2, root mean square error (RMSE), and relative percent deviation (RPD) of 0.73, 0.056, 1.61, and 0.68, 0.096, and 1.06 for T2 (low concentration) and T3 (high concentration) treatments, respectively. The PROSAIL + AO + DELM model was extended to multispectral images (Sentinel-2), where the results of the NDI model inversion were the closest to those of field monitoring. These results indicate that the urban forest SO2 purification rate model constructed in this study has the potential to be applied on a large scale. This study addresses the research gap regarding rapid, non-destructive, and low-input evaluation of plant purification capacity and achieves the non-destructive detection of plant purification capacity from point to point and from static to dynamic. This enables efficient, non-destructive, and cost-effective evaluation of air purification levels, and provides a basis for predicting air purification in large regions in later stages.

This study simulated the canopy reflectance of spring wheat at five distinct growth stages (jointing, booting, heading, flowering, and pustulation) and under four drought scenarios (no drought, mild drought, moderate drought, and severe drought) using the PROSAIL radiative transfer model, and it identified the wavelength range most sensitive to drought. Additionally, the efficacy of 5 mainstream satellites (Sentinel-2, Landsat 8, Worldview-2, MODIS, and GF-2) and 20 commonly utilized remote sensing vegetation indicators (NDVI, SAVI, EVI, ARVI, GVMI, LSWI, VSDI, NDGI, SWIRR, NDWI, PRI, NDII, MSI, WI, SRWI, DSWI, NDREI1, NDREI2, ZMI, and MTCI) in drought monitoring was evaluated. The results indicated that the spectral response characteristics of spring wheat canopy reflectance vary significantly across the growth stages. Notably, the wavelength ranges of 1405–1505 nm and 2140–2190 nm were identified as optimal for drought monitoring throughout the growth period. Considering only the spectral bands, MODIS band 7 was determined to be the most suitable satellite band for monitoring drought in spring wheat at different growth stages. Among the 20 indices examined, WI, MSI, and SRWI, followed by LSWI and GVMI calculated using MODIS bands 2 and 6 as well as bands 8 and 11 of Sentinel-2, demonstrated superior capabilities in differentiating drought scenarios. These conclusions have important implications because they provide valuable guidance for selecting remote sensing drought monitoring data and vegetation indices, and they present insights for future research on the design of new remote sensing indices for assisting drought monitoring and the configuration of remote sensing satellite sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The leaf area index (LAI) is a parameter that can indicate the vegetation canopy structure and accurately reflect the growth state of vegetation. Most studies estimate the LAI of single vegetation in homogeneous areas, but only few studies have explored the LAI inversion of heterogeneous areas. Canopy heterogeneity in heterogeneous regions may increase the uncertainty and difficulty of LAI quantitative inversion. Therefore, LAI retrieval in heterogeneous areas needs to be studied to obtain LAI distribution maps in a large spatial range. In this study, an LAI inversion model considering vegetation types was proposed based on the look-up table (LUT) method and the PROSAIL model for estimating the LAI of heterogeneous surfaces. First, the LUTs of different vegetation types were generated by using PROSAIL with a priori information of multispecies. Second, the corresponding LUT for LAI estimation was selected according to the determined vegetation types. Finally, a parametric sensitivity analysis was conducted based on the PROSAIL model to recognize the key parameters of the algorithm's efficiency. Results show that the approach considering vegetation types (R2 = 0.63, RMSE = 0.75 / R2 = 0.64, RMSE = 0.50) is superior to the traditional approach that does not consider vegetation types (R2 = 0.50, RMSE = 1.32 / R2 = 0.17, RMSE = 1.81). Therefore, the former approach can greatly improve the accuracy of multispecies LAI estimation, especially for areas with high canopy heterogeneity. The proposed approach for multispecies vegetation LAI retrieval can provide new insights for studying the ecological status of complex land surface regions and exhibit an excellent potential for the extended application of the PROSAIL model in heterogeneous areas.

Leaf area index (LAI) is an important indicator for crop growth monitoring. Due to the small number of ground-measured samples, the hybrid method, using the radiative transfer model (RTM) to generate simulated samples and combining with the regression model, is popular for LAI estimation. However, there is still difference between simulated spectrum and measured spectrum, which may affect the inversion results. In this study, an iterative hybrid method combines BP neural network and PROSAIL model, and an optimal sample selection method for crop LAI estimation was proposed. A small number of ground-measured samples and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) hyperspectral data were used to estimate LAI firstly. Then, the initial LAI result was used as the parameter of PROSAIL model to generate the simulated spectrum. The simulated spectrum with high similarity with the UAV spectrum and corresponding LAI value would be treated as new samples for BP neural network. After several iterations, a reasonable sample set was obtained to estimate winter wheat LAI. The method proposed in this study is evaluated using ground-measured test samples and compared with the common hybrid methods. Results indicate that with the increase of the number of training samples, the accuracy of estimation model is improved (RMSE/MAE decreased from 0.4685/0.0301 to 0.4377/0.0272, respectively, while R$^{2}$ increased from 0.5857 to 0.6384). Also, the accuracy of proposed iterative hybrid model is higher than that of commonly used hybrid model. The experiments demonstrate the relatively high accuracy of the proposed iterative hybrid method, which could be used for vegetation parameter estimation with only a small number of ground samples.

Grassland aboveground biomass (AGB) is a crucial indicator when studying the carbon sink of grassland ecosystems. The exploration of the grassland AGB inversion method with viable reproducibility is significant for promoting the practicability and efficiency of grassland quantitative monitoring. Therefore, this study provides a novel retrieval method for grassland AGB by coupling the PROSAIL (PROSPECT + SAIL) model and the random forest (RF) model on the basis of the lookup-table (LUT) method. These sensitive spectral characteristics were optimized to significantly correlate with AGB (ranging from 0.41 to 0.68, p < 0.001). Four methods were coupled with the PROSAIL model to estimate grassland AGB in the West Ujimqin grassland, including the LUT method, partial least square (PLSR), RF and support vector machine (SVM) models. The ill-posed inverse problem of the PROSAIL model was alleviated using the MODIS products-based algorithm. Inversion results using sensitive spectral characteristics showed that the PROSAIL + RF model offered the best performance (R2 = 0.70, RMSE = 21.65 g/m2 and RMESr = 27.62%), followed by the LUT-based method, which was higher than the PROSAIL + PLSR model. Relatively speaking, the PROSAIL + SVM model was more challenging in this study. The proposed method exhibited strong robustness and universality for AGB estimation in large-scale grassland without field measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The canopy chlorophyll content (CCC) and leaf area index (LAI) are both essential indicators for crop growth monitoring and yield estimation. The PROSAIL model, which couples the properties optique spectrales des feuilles (PROSPECT) and scattering by arbitrarily inclined leaves (SAIL) radiative transfer models, is commonly used for the quantitative retrieval of crop parameters; however, its homogeneous canopy assumption limits its accuracy, especially in the case of multiple crop categories. The adjusted average leaf angle (ALAadj), which can be parameterized for a specific crop type, increases the applicability of the PROSAIL model for specific crop types with a non-uniform canopy and has the potential to enhance the performance of PROSAIL-coupled hybrid methods. In this study, the PROSAIL-D model was used to generate the ALAadj values of wheat, soybean, and maize crops based on ground-measured spectra, the LAI, and the leaf chlorophyll content (LCC). The results revealed ALAadj values of 62 degrees for wheat, 45 degrees for soybean, and 60 degrees for maize. Support vector regression (SVR), random forest regression (RFR), extremely randomized trees regression (ETR), the gradient boosting regression tree (GBRT), and stacking learning (STL) were applied to simulated data of the ALAadj in 50-band data to retrieve the CCC and LAI of the crops. The results demonstrated that the estimation accuracy of singular crop parameters, particularly the crop LAI, was greatly enhanced by the five machine learning methods on the basis of data simulated with the ALAadj. Regarding the estimation results of mixed crops, the machine learning algorithms using ALAadj datasets resulted in estimations of CCC (RMSE: RFR = 51.1 μg cm−2, ETR = 54.7 μg cm−2, GBRT = 54.9 μg cm−2, STL = 48.3 μg cm−2) and LAI (RMSE: SVR = 0.91, RFR = 1.03, ETR = 1.05, GBRT = 1.05, STL = 0.97), that outperformed the estimations without using the ALAadj (namely CCC RMSE: RFR = 93.0 μg cm−2, ETR = 60.1 μg cm−2, GBRT = 60.0 μg cm−2, STL = 68.5 μg cm−2 and LAI RMSE: SVR = 2.10, RFR = 2.28, ETR = 1.67, GBRT = 1.66, STL = 1.51). Similar findings were obtained using the suggested method in conjunction with 19-band data, demonstrating the promising potential of this method to estimate the CCC and LAI of crops at the satellite scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Take-all is a root disease that can severely reduce wheat yield, and wheat leaves with take-all disease show a large amount of chlorophyll loss. The PROSAIL model has been widely used for the inversion of vegetation physiological parameters with a clear physical meaning of the model and high simulation accuracy. Based on the chlorophyll deficiency characteristics, the reflectance data under different canopy chlorophyll contents were simulated using the PROSAIL model. In addition, inverse models of spectral reflectance profiles and canopy chlorophyll contents were constructed using a one-dimensional convolutional neural network (1D-CNN), and a transfer learning approach was used to detect the take-all disease levels. The spectral reflectance data of winter wheat acquired by an airborne imaging spectrometer during the filling period were used as input parameters of the model to obtain the chlorophyll content of the canopy. Finally, the results of the distribution of winter wheat take-all disease were mapped based on the relationship between take-all disease and the chlorophyll content of the canopy. The results showed that classification based on the deep learning model performed well for winter wheat take-all monitoring. This study can provide some reference basis for high-precision winter wheat take-all disease monitoring and can also provide some technical method references and ideas for remote sensing crop pest and disease remote sensing mapping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate estimation of the leaf or canopy chlorophyll content is crucial for monitoring crop growth conditions. Remote sensing monitoring of crop chlorophyll is a non-destructive, large-area, and real-time method that requires reliable retrieval models and satellite data. High-resolution satellite imagery generally has better object recognition capabilities. However, the influence of the spectral and spatial resolution of medium- and high-spatial-resolution satellite imagery on chlorophyll retrieval is currently unexplored, especially in conjunction with radiative transfer models (RTMs). This has important implications for the accurate quantification of crop chlorophyll over large areas. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to establish an RTM for the retrieval of maize chlorophyll and to compare the chlorophyll retrieval capability of the model using medium- and high-spatial-resolution satellite images. We constructed a hybrid model consisting of the PROSAIL model and the Gaussian process regression (GPR) algorithm to retrieve maize leaf and canopy chlorophyll contents (LCC and CCC). In addition, an active learning (AL) strategy was incorporated into the hybrid model to enhance the model's accuracy and efficiency. Sentinel-2 imagery with a spatial resolution of 10 m and 3 m-resolution Planet imagery were utilized for the LCC and CCC retrieval, respectively, using the hybrid model. The accuracy of the model was verified using field-measured maize chlorophyll data obtained in Dajianchang Town, Wuqing District, Tianjin City, in 2018. The results showed that the AL strategy increased the accuracy of the chlorophyll retrieval. The hybrid model for LCC retrieval with 10-band Sentinel-2 without AL had an R2 of 0.567 and an RMSE of 5.598, and the model with AL had an R2 of 0.743 and an RMSE of 3.964. Incorporating the AL strategy improved the model performance (R2 = 0.743 and RMSE = 3.964). The Planet imagery provided better results for chlorophyll retrieval than 4-band Sentinel-2 imagery but worse performance than 10-band Sentinel-2 imagery. Additionally, we tested the model using maize chlorophyll data obtained from Youyi Farm in Heilongjiang Province in 2021 to evaluate the model's robustness and scalability. The test results showed that the hybrid model used with 10-band Sentinel-2 images achieved good accuracy in the Youyi Farm area (LCC: R2 = 0.792, RMSE = 2.8; CCC: R2 = 0.726, RMSE = 0.152). The optimal hybrid model was applied to images from distinct periods to map the spatiotemporal distribution of the chlorophyll content. The uncertainties in the chlorophyll content retrieval results from different periods were relatively low, demonstrating that the model had good temporal scalability. Our research results can provide support for the precise management of maize growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) defines the anisotropy of surface reflectance and plays a fundamental role in many remote sensing applications. This study proposes a new machine learning-based model for characterizing the BRDF. The model integrates the capability of Radiative Transfer Models (RTMs) to generate simulated remote sensing data with the power of deep neural networks to emulate, learn and approximate the complex pattern of physical RTMs for BRDF modeling. To implement this idea, we used a one-dimensional convolutional neural network (1D-CNN) trained with a dataset simulated using two widely used RTMs: PROSAIL and 6S. The proposed 1D-CNN consists of convolutional, max poling, and dropout layers that collaborate to establish a more efficient relationship between the input and output variables from the coupled PROSAIL and 6S yielding a robust, fast, and accurate BRDF model. We evaluated the proposed approach performance using a collection of an independent testing dataset. The results indicated that the proposed framework for BRDF modeling performed well at four simulated Sentinel-3 OLCI bands, including Oa04 (blue), Oa06 (green), Oa08 (red), and Oa17 (NIR), with a mean correlation coefficient of around 0.97, and RMSE around 0.003 and an average relative percentage error of under 4%. Furthermore, to assess the performance of the developed network in the real domain, a collection of multi-temporals OLCI real data was used. The results indicated that the proposed framework has a good performance in the real domain with a coefficient correlation ( R 2 ), 0.88, 0.76, 0.7527, and 0.7560 respectively for the blue, green, red, and NIR bands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Canopy nitrogen content (CNC, kg/ha) provides crucial information for site-specific crop fertilization and the usability of Sentinel-2 (S2) satellite data for CNC monitoring at high fertilization levels in managed agricultural fields is still underexplored. Winter wheat samples were collected in France and Belgium in 2017 (n = 126) and 2018 (n = 18), analysed for CNC and S2-spectra were extracted at the sample locations. A comparison of three established remote sensing methods to retrieve CNC was carried out: (1) look-up-table (LUT) inversion of the canopy reflectance model PROSAIL, (2) Partial Least Square Regression (PLSR) and (3) nitrogen-sensitive vegetation indices (VI). The spatial and temporal model transferability to new data was rigorously assessed. The PROSAIL-LUT approach predicted CNC with a root mean squared error of 33.9 kg/ha on the 2017 dataset and a slightly larger value of 36.8 kg/ha on the 2018 dataset. Contrary, PLSR showed an error of 27.9 kg N/ha (R2 = 0.52) in the calibration dataset (2017) but a substantially larger error of 38.4 kg N/ha on the independent dataset (2018). VIs revealed calibration errors were slightly larger than the PLSR results but showed much higher validation errors for the independent dataset (> 50 kg/ha). The PROSAIL inversion was more stable and robust than the PLSR and VI methods when applied to new data. The obtained CNC maps may support farmers in adapting their fertilization management according to the actual crop nitrogen status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, an approach for the harmonized calculation of the Leaf Area Indices (LAIs) for agronomic crops from Sentinel-2 MSI and Landsat OLI multispectral satellite data is proposed in order to obtain a dense seasonal trajectory. It was developed and tested on dominant crops grown in the Czech Republic, including winter wheat, spring barley, winter rapeseed, alfalfa, sugar beet, and corn. The two-step procedure harmonizing Sentinel-2 MSI and Landsat OLI spectral data began with deriving NDVI, MSAVI, and NDWI_1610 vegetation indices (VIs) as proxy indicators of green biomass and foliage water content, the parameters contributing most to a stand's spectral response. Second, a simple linear transformation was applied to the resulting VI values. The regression model itself was built on an artificial neural network, then trained on PROSAIL simulations data. The LAI estimates were validated using an extensive dataset of in situ measurements collected during 2017 and 2018 in the lowlands of the Central Bohemia Region. Very strong agreement was observed between LAI estimates from both Sentinel-2 MSI and Landsat OLI data and independent ground-based measurements (r between 0.7 and 0.98). Very good results were also achieved in the mutual comparison of Sentinel-2 and Landsat-based LAI datasets (rRMSE < 20%, r between 0.75 and 0.99). Using data from all currently available Sentinel-2 (A/B) and Landsat (8/9) satellites, a dense harmonized LAI time series can be created with high potential for use in precision agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) remote sensing was used to estimate the leaf area index (LAI) and leaf chlorophyll content (LCC) of two hemp cultivars during two growing seasons under four nitrogen fertilisation levels. The hemp traits were estimated by the inversion of the PROSAIL model from UAV multispectral images. The look-up table (LUT) and hybrid regression inversion methods were compared. The hybrid methods performed better than LUT methods, both for LAI and LCC, and the best accuracies were achieved by random forest for the LAI (0.75 m2 m−2 of RMSE) and by Gaussian process regression for the LCC (9.69 µg cm−2 of RMSE). High-throughput phenotyping was carried out by applying a generalised additive model to the time series of traits estimated by the PROSAIL model. Through this approach, significant differences in LAI and LCC dynamics were observed between the two hemp cultivars and between different levels of nitrogen fertilisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A major challenge for the estimation of crop traits (biophysical variables) from canopy reflectance is the creation of a high-quality training dataset. To address this problem, this research investigated a conceptual framework by integrating a crop growth model with a radiative transfer model to introduce biological constraints in a synthetic training dataset. In addition to the comparison of two datasets without and with biological constraints, we also investigated the effects of observation geometry, retrieval method, and wavelength range on estimation accuracy of four crop traits (leaf area index, leaf chlorophyll content, leaf dry matter, and leaf water content) of wheat. The theoretical analysis demonstrated potential advantages of adding biological constraints in synthetic training datasets as well as the capability of deep learning. Additionally, the predictive models were validated on real unmanned aerial vehicle-based multispectral images collected from wheat plots contrasting in canopy structure. The predictive model trained over a synthetic dataset with biological constraints enabled the prediction of leaf water content from using wavelengths in the visible to near infrared range based on the correlations between crop traits. Our findings presented the potential of the proposed conceptual framework in simultaneously retrieving multiple crop traits from canopy reflectance for applications in precision agriculture and plant breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We aimed to compare the potential of physical-based models (radiative transfer and pixel unmixing models) for evaluating the short-term resilience to fire of several shrubland communities as a function of their regenerative strategy and burn severity. The study site was located within the perimeter of a wildfire that occurred in summer 2017 in the northwestern Iberian Peninsula. A pre- and post-fire time series of Sentinel-2 satellite imagery was acquired to estimate fractional vegetation cover (FVC) from the (i) PROSAIL-D radiative transfer model inversion using the random forest algorithm, and (ii) multiple endmember spectral mixture analysis (MESMA). The FVC retrieval was validated throughout the time series by means of field data stratified by plant community type (i.e., regenerative strategy). The inversion of PROSAIL-D featured the highest overall fit for the entire time series (R2 > 0.75), followed by MESMA (R2 > 0.64). We estimated the resilience of shrubland communities in terms of FVC recovery using an impact-normalized resilience index and a linear model. High burn severity negatively influenced the short-term resilience of shrublands dominated by facultative seeder species. In contrast, shrublands dominated by resprouters reached pre-fire FVC values regardless of burn severity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Measuring maize grain moisture content (GMC) variability at maturity provides an essential piece of information for the formulation of maize harvesting sequences and the applications of precision agriculture. Canopy chlorophyll content (CCC) is an important parameter that describes crop growth, photosynthetic rate, health, and senescence. The main goal of this study was to estimate maize GMC at maturity through CCC retrieved from multi-spectral UAV images using a PROSAIL model inversion and compare its performance with GMC estimation through simple vegetation indices (VIs) approaches. This study was conducted in two separate maize fields of 50.3 and 56 ha located in Hailun County, Heilongjiang Province, China. Each of the fields was cultivated with two maize varieties. One field was used as reference data for constructing the model, and the other field was applied to validate. The leaf chlorophyll content (LCC) and leaf area index (LAI) of maize were collected at three critical stages of crop growth, and meanwhile, the GMC of maize at maturity was also obtained. During the collection of field data, a UAV flight campaign was performed to obtain multi-spectral images from two fields at three main crop growth stages. In order to calibrate and evaluate the PROSAIL model for obtaining maize CCC, crop canopy spectral reflectance was simulated using crop-specific parameters. In addition, various VIs were computed from multi-spectral images to estimate maize GMC at maturity and compare the results with CCC estimations. When the CCC-retrieved results were compared to measured data, the R2 value was 0.704, the RMSE was 34.58 μg/cm2, and the MAE was 26.27 μg/cm2. The estimation accuracy of the maize GMC based on the normalized red edge index (NDRE) was demonstrated to be the greatest among the selected VIs in both fields, with R2 values of 0.6 and 0.619, respectively. Although the VIs of UAV inversion GMC accuracy are lower than those of CCC, their rapid acquisition, high spatial and temporal resolution, suitability for empirical models, and capture of growth differences within the field are still helpful techniques for field-scale crop monitoring. We found that maize varieties are the main reason for the maturity variation of maize under the same geographical and environmental conditions. The method described in this article enables precision agriculture based on UAV remote sensing by giving growers a spatial reference for crop maturity at the field scale.

Accurate monitoring of crop organ biomass facilitates optimizing agronomic strategies to maximize yield or economic benefit. Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is extensively employed for aboveground biomass (AGB) monitoring at the farm scale, but previous studies have mostly concentrated on total AGB rather than individual organ biomass. Furthermore, film-mulched crops, a widely used cropping pattern in northwest China, have received less attention for AGB monitoring. We aim to develop a novel model to precisely estimate the AGB of leaf (AGB Leaf), stem (AGB Stem), and reproductive organs (AGB R) by UAV for film-mulched wheat and maize. The maize-wheat rotation field experiments with treatments of five nitrogen application amounts and three planting densities were conducted from 2021 to 2023, respectively. Firstly, we constructed allometric models at jointing, heading (tasseling), and grain filling stages by ground sampling data in 2021–2022. Next, the input feature set was obtained by feature selection methods (Lasso and Boruta) using UAV image data, and three traditional methods (partial least squares, ridge regression, and support vector machine) and three ensemble learning models (random forest, extreme gradient boosting, and local cascade ensemble (LCE)) were trained for AGB Leaf inversion based on the physically-based PROSAIL model simulation dataset. Finally, the optimal AGB Leaf inversion hybrid model was coupled with the allometric model to estimate the AGB Stem and AGB R in 2022–2023. The results indicated that both wheat and maize organ biomass conformed to the allometric pattern. While feature selection helped reduce computation and complexity, but didn't improve monitoring accuracy. The normalized root mean square error (NRMSE) of the optimal hybrid model (PROSAIL + Boruta + LCE) on the measured wheat and maize AGB Leaf datasets were 12.72 %–24.93 % and 19.65 %–25.16 %, respectively. After coupling the allometric model, the coefficient of determination (R2) of wheat and maize AGB Stem were 0.64–0.85 and 0.63–0.68, and the NRMSE were 15.05 %–25.28 % and 24.10 %–27.06 %, respectively; and the corresponding R2 of AGB R was 0.67–0.76 and 0.72, and the NRMSE were 16.81 %–22.12 % and 21.66 %, for wheat and maize, respectively. Overall, the novel model performed well in film-mulched wheat and maize, providing a cost-effective approach for organ biomass monitoring. In the future, further validation of the model's transferability is necessary to increase the potential for generalization in production practice. [Display omitted] • The hybrid model of PROSAIL, Boruta, and LCE achieved the optimal AGB Leaf estimation. • Wheat and maize organ biomass were estimated by the 6hybrid model and allometric relationships. • LCE combined the advantages of both Bagging and Boosting to obtain higher prediction accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this era of global warming, the regular and accurate mapping of vegetation conditions is essential for monitoring ecosystems, climate sustainability and biodiversity. In this context, this work proposes a physics-guided data-driven methodology to invert radiative transfer models (RTM) for the retrieval of vegetation biophysical variables. A hybrid paradigm is proposed by incorporating the physical model to be inverted into the design of a neural network architecture, which is trained by exploiting unlabeled satellite images. In this study, we show how the proposed strategy allows the simultaneous probabilistic inversion of all input PROSAIL model parameters by exploiting Sentinel-2 images. The interest of the proposed self-supervised learning strategy is corroborated by showing the limitations of existing simulation-trained machine learning algorithms. Results are assessed on leaf area index (LAI) and canopy chlorophyll content (CCC) in-situ measurements collected on four different field campaigns over three European tests sites. Prediction accuracies are compared with performances reached by the well-established Biophysical Processor (BP) of the Sentinel Application Platform (SNAP). Obtained overall accuracies corroborate that the proposed methodology achieves performances equivalent to or better than the state-of-the-art methods. • Full Bayesian inversion of PROSAIL based on Variational Autoencoders. • Self-supervised learning on Sentinel-2 images. • Experimental correlations found between PROSAIL variables. • Existing approaches highly dependent on the training data simulations distributions. • In-situ LAI and CCC retrieval equivalent or better than SNAP's SL2P. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We used a canopy radiative transfer model, PROSAIL, with simulated paddy canopy reflectance and vegetation indices (VIs) to investigate the characteristics of three drone-mountable multispectral cameras. The leaf area index (LAI), diffuse light ratio, and solar zenith angle were varied to create differences in reflectance and VIs due to changes in the growth stage and light environment. Different wavelength regions of each camera caused significant differences in both reflectance and VIs in the red edge band. Changes in the diffuse light ratio and solar zenith angle changed the values even at the same LAI; therefore, to obtain reliable results, appropriate observation conditions must be set for aerial photography by drones with multispectral cameras. The VIs that use the red edge band were the least affected by the observation conditions, and were less likely to be saturated at high LAI. However, drone-mountable cameras can be effectively used to observe paddy fields 'because the differences in the values of reflectance and VIs among cameras can be corrected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Miscanthus holds a great potential in the frame of the bioeconomy, and yield prediction can help improve Miscanthus' logistic supply chain. Breeding programs in several countries are attempting to produce high-yielding Miscanthus hybrids better adapted to different climates and end-uses. Multispectral images acquired from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in Italy and in the UK in 2021 and 2022 were used to investigate the feasibility of high-throughput phenotyping (HTP) of novel Miscanthus hybrids for yield prediction and crop traits estimation. An intercalibration procedure was performed using simulated data from the PROSAIL model to link vegetation indices (VIs) derived from two different multispectral sensors. The random forest algorithm estimated with good accuracy yield traits (light interception, plant height, green leaf biomass, and standing biomass) using 15 VIs time series, and predicted yield using peak descriptors derived from these VIs time series with root mean square error of 2.3 Mg DM ha−1. The study demonstrates the potential of UAVs' multispectral images in HTP applications and in yield prediction, providing important information needed to increase sustainable biomass production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The leaf area index (LAI), a key parameter used to characterize the structure and function of the vegetation canopy, is crucial to simulations of the carbon, nitrogen, and water cycles of Earth's system. In this paper, a neural network (NN) method coupled with vegetation canopy and atmospheric radiative transfer (RT) simulations is proposed to realize LAI retrieval without prior data support and complex atmospheric corrections. The look-up table (LUT) of the top-of-atmosphere (TOA) reflectance and associated input variables was simulated by 6S (6S simulation) based on the top-of-canopy (TOC) reflectance LUT simulated by PROSAIL. This was then used to train the NN to obtain the LAI inversion model. This method has been successfully applied to MODIS L1B data (MOD021KM), and the LAI retrieval of the vegetation canopy was realized. The estimated LAI was compared with the MODIS LAI (MOD15A2H) using mid-latitude summer data from 2000 to 2017 in the DIRECT 2.0 ground database. The experiments indicated that the LAI retrieved by the TOA reflectance (r = 0.7852, RMSE = 0.5191) was not much different from the LAI retrieved by the TOC reflectance (r = 0.8063, RMSE = 0.7669), and the accuracy was better than the MODIS LAI (r = 0.7607, RMSE = 0.8239), which proves the feasibility of this method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The monitoring of soil moisture content (SMC) at very high spatial resolution (

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This study assessed the effect of atmospheric correction algorithms, inversion techniques and image spatial and spectral resolution on wheat crop LAI retrieval using Sentinel-2 MSI and Landsat-8 OLI imagery. The LAI retrievals were validated with in-situ measurements collected in farmers' fields. The MSI-based LAI retrievals improved significantly when images were atmospherically corrected using MODTRAN than using the libRadtran code. Among the two PROSAIL inversion approaches, look-up table outperforms artificial neural network for LAI retrievals. Using the best strategy of atmospheric correction and inversion, the effect of spatial resolution from 20 m (MSI) to 30 m (OLI) while using common six bands, showed non-significant improvement in LAI retrievals. The inclusion of additional two red-edge bands as available in MSI significantly reduced the uncertainly in LAI retrievals over that obtained by using six bands, while inclusion of only additional VNIR band did not show any significant effect on LAI retrievals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here, four normalized difference water index (NDWI) variants, i.e., NDWI(860,970), NDWI(860,1240), NDWI(860,1640), and NDWI(1240,1640) are generated from the corn-oriented PROSAIL radiative transfer model. It is found that, instead of the linear relationship derived in previous studies, corn canopy water content (CWC) is best approximated as an exponential function of NDWI. Following the analysis of the PROSAIL-generated results, a newly optimized NDWI-based scheme is proposed for estimating corn CWC according to variations in the performance of the four NDWI variants under different CWC conditions. Validation results based on independent field data from the SMEX02, HiWATER2012, and Baoding2018 field experiments verify that this optimized NDWI-based corn CWC estimating scheme has a higher accuracy ($R = 0.87\,\,\pm \,\,0.03$ , RMSE = 0.2068 ± 0.0145 kg/m2) than existing NDWI-based strategies for corn CWC retrieval. The feasibility of retrieving corn vegetation water content (VWC) based on the optimized NDWI-based scheme is also investigated, and the superiority of the optimized NDWI-based scheme for retrieving corn VWC is assessed. By comparing with four other NDWI-based corn VWC estimating methods, as well as the corn VWC parameterization scheme applied in the SMAP soil moisture algorithm, it is shown that our optimized NDWI-based scheme has the best VWC estimation accuracy, with the highest $R$ of 0.89 ± 0.02 and the lowest RMSE of 0.7179 ± 0.0555 kg/m2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, an approach for the harmonized calculation of the Leaf Area Indices (LAIs) for agronomic crops from Sentinel-2 MSI and Landsat OLI multispectral satellite data is proposed in order to obtain a dense seasonal trajectory. It was developed and tested on dominant crops grown in the Czech Republic, including winter wheat, spring barley, winter rapeseed, alfalfa, sugar beet, and corn. The two-step procedure harmonizing Sentinel-2 MSI and Landsat OLI spectral data began with deriving NDVI, MSAVI, and NDWI_1610 vegetation indices (VIs) as proxy indicators of green biomass and foliage water content, the parameters contributing most to a stand’s spectral response. Second, a simple linear transformation was applied to the resulting VI values. The regression model itself was built on an artificial neural network, then trained on PROSAIL simulations data. The LAI estimates were validated using an extensive dataset of in situ measurements collected during 2017 and 2018 in the lowlands of the Central Bohemia Region. Very strong agreement was observed between LAI estimates from both Sentinel-2 MSI and Landsat OLI data and independent ground-based measurements (r between 0.7 and 0.98). Very good results were also achieved in the mutual comparison of Sentinel-2 and Landsat-based LAI datasets (rRMSE < 20%, r between 0.75 and 0.99). Using data from all currently available Sentinel-2 (A/B) and Landsat (8/9) satellites, a dense harmonized LAI time series can be created with high potential for use in precision agriculture.