Estimation of evapotranspiration on discontinuous crop canopies using high resolution thermal imagery

Efficient water management in agriculture requires accurate estimation of the evapotranspiration (ET) of crops. This work presents the progress made on assessing the water status and ET estimation on discontinuous crop canopies where soil and shadow components affect the remote sensing imagery used. Two orchards used to conduct regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) experiments were monitored between 2004 and 2006 and at three different levels: i) near-field point thermal sensors monitoring single crowns continuously; ii) airborne level using high-resolution thermal and multispectral imagery collected at different times of day; and iii) satellite level using TERRA-ASTER and Quickbird for estimating surface temperature and multispectral imagery, respectively.