AgriChain introduced a new feature: Benchmarking fields based on NDVI index evaluation

AgriChain introduced a new feature release – benchmarking based on the NDVI index, depending on crops and vegetation period.

It is not as important as its interpretation, especially when it comes to NDVI* images that only give an idea of the condition of crops. However, many questions leave an assessment of the data received, which usually happens “on the eye” or “plus-minus”.

AgriChain presents the market with the release of a new function in AgriChain Scout and offers an analytical field rating based on the NDVI evaluation of crop images. The function will help to assess the dynamics and current state of vegetation more accurately, and accordingly to make the necessary decisions in time.

The team of agronomists of Agroindustrial holding “Astarta-Kyiv” with considerable experience in analysis and processing of NDVI images of different cultures, for more than six months, worked on a unique project on the interpretation of data received on the basis of satellite monitoring data, namely NDVI images. They processed information for 5 years, analyzing only periods with standard vegetation conditions without drought and extreme precipitations.

Agronomy has built minimum, maximum and standard values for every critical period of growth and development of five crops: Corn, soybeans, sunflower, winter wheat, and sugar beets.

These values look like scales that accurately reflect the situation on the field at an important vegetation time for a particular crop in the form of the following NDVI indices: “Very high”, “high”, “medium”, “satisfactory”, “low”

AgriChain developed a scale of NDVI estimates of the images and strengthened it by the benchmarking system with the ability to set objectives for the agronomist on the deeper analysis of the field based on the initial IDVI indices.

Anatoliy Kovalchuk, AgriChain Project Manager:

– The information analyzed by the team of agronomists turned into scales. Now in the application, AgriChain Scout can be viewed not just like a picture, but as a passport of the field: Where the information about its index NDVI, culture, variety or hybrid, and the period of vegetation is shown. The innovation will allow to automatically receive information about, for example, that 70% of the field have the index “high”, which is a standard indicator specifically for the studied culture of this period of vegetation, and the rest – “very high”, which requires additional examination on the pollution of weeds.
Each crop has a different period of germination, if in sunflower only for 15 days after sowing for the optimal temperature regime it is possible to assess the quality and uniformity of the steps, then the steps of the rape can be expected for 6-7 day.

And for winter wheat, the critical periods are “crop entrance to winter” and “restoration of spring vegetation”. And all this information will be ready for analysis in the updated AgriChain Scout application functionality.”

Another significant update is “cutting the clouds” and “field reconstruction” on NDVI images. Yes, AgriChain specialists are also able to do this. If a part of the field was not available for the satellite at the time of the shooting, the system will cut it and put a piece of the previous day’s shot, and the program will calculate the average vegetation value.

The AgriChain Scout Update is a fundamental approach to analyzing the situation on the field for prompt management decisions during the season and with the ability to analyze collected information at the end of the season to make strategic decisions in the future.

*NDVI (Normalized difference vegetation index) is a numerical indicator of the quality and quantity of vegetation on the field. It is calculated on satellite images and depends on how plants are reflected and absorbed.