Predicting rice crop maturity using remote sensing

Abstract

Key findings • Grain moisture content was predicted with a high level of accuracy (R2 = 0.88 to 0.94) for each variety using normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI), but predictions were different across varieties. • This research is valuable as proof of concept, highlighting that the opportunity exists to potentially use NDVI to predict grain maturity across a rice field. • The difficult decision of when to drain a rice crop could be improved by using remote sensing and within-field variability could be accounted for in the decision-making process.