ASSESSMENT OF THE SPECTRAL CHARACTER- ISTICS OF DIFFERENT PHYSIOLOGICAL STAGES OF SOME OLIVE CVS. AND ITS RELATION WITH PRODUCTIVITY

Abstract

Remote sensing is the tool to obtain synoptic, multi temporal, dynamic and timely efficient information about any target on the Earth. The main objectives of the current study are: 1) to identify the spectral signature of the different observed olive cultivars, 2) to statistically correlate productivity of the olive crop with the different vegetation indices and to produce productivity map from RapidEye image. The study was carried out in a study area (30 feddan) in EL-Behira governorate, Wadi EL-Natrun city using the dataset from season 2014. The main input parameters of yield prediction models are measured spectral reflectance data in form of vegetation indices with observed yield data. Seven vegetation indices were used: Normalized Difference Vegetation Index(NDVI), Modified Chlorophyll Absorption Ratio Index(MCARI), Triangular Vegetation Index(TVI), Modified Chlorophyll Absorption Ratio Index 1(MCARI1), Modified Chlorophyll Absorption Ratio Index 2 (MCARI2), Modified Triangular Vegetation Index(MTVI2) and Chlorophyll Index(CI). Molding and validation process were carried out for each cultivar. As shown from the correlation coefficient of the generated models, the highest correlation coefficient (R²) was found with Picual and Kalamata cultivars in mature stage while the highest (R²) was found with Manzanillo cultivar in fruit sat stage. The lowest (R²) was found with in dormancy stage in all cultivars. Yield prediction map was produced based on the validated (NDVI - yield) model. The map shows the modeled yield for each pixel in Rapid-Eye image.