Researchers from the University of Twente’s Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC) have used satellite images to assess the effective use of cover crops in the Dutch province of Overijssel.
The study focuses on analysing satellite images from 2017 and 2018 and the results have now been published in the International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation.
Planting a cover crop between the main growing seasons is a measure that offers multiple potential benefits for sustainable food production. These crops play a major role in preventing the nitrates introduced by fertilisation from leaching into the groundwater. To comply with current regulations, Dutch farmers are required to sow a cover crop after cultivating maize by 1 October at the latest.
Imagery from Sentinel-2 satellites made it possible to estimate the sowing dates for individual fields. “Fields covered in vegetation reflect high levels of near-infrared light and low levels of light from the visible spectrum. Plotting this reflection over time allows us to track changes and estimate sowing dates. A newly sown field without plants reflects relatively little infrared light,” ITC researcher Dr Anton Vrieling explains.
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Image via University of Twente
