Monitoring the Growth of Agricultural Crops Phenology using Google Earth Engine in Wasit Governorate / Central Iraq

Abstract

The estimation of a crop’s phenological growth stage is very important in remote monitoring and advisory of crops using satellite imaging. However, it has not been thoroughly researched and recorded in the context of crop identification and crop health, scheduling of irrigation. The study area is located in the Kut Governorate in (Dujaili) district, with an area estimated at (1,583,000) dunums, in which various crops are grown, including (wheat, barley, alfalfa, vegetables of all kinds, and corn of both types (yellow, white). The aim of the study is to monitoring the growth stages of agricultural crops and irrigation of crops using the Google Earth Engine GEE platform, the research comes within the framework of bridging the knowledge deficit by using GEE in monitoring plants, since few studies discussed the use of the platform in detecting vegetation. The study conclude  the utilization of the GEE platform and the creation of a code through which crops and irrigation were monitored in the study area with different date that included the stage of tillage, initial germination, peak time of the plant to the weaning irrigation and then harvesting to be effective in explaining the growth of agricultural crops phonologically, and this technique leads to short time and accuracy in results as well as  new method produces monthly high-resolution (10m resolution) maps of the cropping areas  as the growth stages of the crops, the method is a temporal gradient of Sentinel-1 data and crop Phenology information based on the GEE as a model environment that can support such a context and  that the NDVI index is a good indicator to monitor of all vegetation areas, Whereas, the Modified Chlorophyll Absorption Ratio Index (MCAR2) is more sensitive to changes in chlorophyll content, Leaf Area Index (LAI) variation and lessening of the soil effect.