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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Houma, Louisiana » Sugarcane Research » Research » Research Project #438518

Research Project: Improving Sugarcane Growth Estimation Across Variable Climatic Conditions by Integrating Flux Data, Remote Sensing, and Computer Modeling

Location: Sugarcane Research

Project Number: 6052-13210-003-003-R
Project Type: Reimbursable Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: May 1, 2020
End Date: Jan 31, 2025

Objective:
The objective is to investigate how remote sensing and eddy flux data can be integrated to enhance the understanding of sugarcane soil-crop-atmospheric processes and resilience to biotic and abiotic stresses to improve cane quality and sustainability.

Approach:
We plan to investigate sugarcane production systems using eddy flux data, field measurements, remote sensing data, and computer modeling to determine the best metrics for remotely estimating plant growth, carbon sequestration, crop water usage, and ultimately crop yield. Carbon dioxide flux data will be obtained from towers positioned in different sugarcane production systems in Louisiana. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) will be used to obtain spectroscopic data related to vegetation and land surface characteristics. The Vegetation Photosynthesis Model (VPM) will be used to estimate daily gross primary production. The integration of these approaches will provide us a better understanding of the phenology and physiology of sugarcane and an improved means of estimating crop performance across a range of biotic and abiotic stress.