Using historical LANDSAT TM satellite imagery for on-farm management decisions in hard red winter wheat

Scope and method of study. Wheat grain yields from selected fields in Oklahoma were monitored over a nine-year period using satellite imagery. Yields for each 25m x 25m area within each field were estimated from NDVI measurements obtained from LANDSAT scenes in north-central Oklahoma. Statistics were gathered from these locations from 1991 to 1999.; Findings and conclusions. Wheat grain yield levels are known to vary from one year to the next and much of this variability is often attributed to climatic differences from year to year. However, within field variability of wheat grain yields as a function of time has not been extensively evaluated. This project discusses the variability in those yields seen from year to year, as well as the variation within the fields each year. This information is then used to analyze the use of satellite imagery and historical yield as a tool for on-farm management decisions.