Location: Hydrology and Remote Sensing Laboratory
Project Number: 8042-13610-029-077-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Jun 1, 2014
End Date: May 31, 2019
Objective:
Determine the capabilities of integrating Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) high resolution multispectral and thermal-infrared data with the two-source energy balance model for assessment of water use (evapotranspiration), root zone water availability, and plant stress of vineyards for improved irrigation management while sustaining grape productivity and quality.
Approach:
Conduct intensive field experiments collecting evapotranspiration (ET), root zone soil moisture, and biophysical data in concert with high resolution UAS remote sensing imagery provided by Utah State University (Cooperator). The remote sensing imagery from UAS sensors will be used to evaluate and refine remote-sensing-based ET models for quantifying vineyard water use and vine stress/condition at different vine physiological stages. The high resolution UAS imagery will also be used to distinguish vine and cover crop contributions to total water use and root zone water availability as well as evaluating and refining thermal sharpening techniques that use coarser resolution satellite data to provide separate vine and cover crop contributions to total ET.