C

Corn tasseling is the reproductive stage of corn where the tassels, which are located on the top of the plant, produce pollen. The tasseling stage is important for both the yield and quality of corn and extra care should be provided that plants are in optimal conditions at this stage. Despite the potential size of the ear already being determined during the previous growth phase, what happens during this period determines the plant’s ability to express the yield potential. The more pollination that occurs the better the eventual yield will be. Corn reproductive stages should be monitored closely by growers.

How does satellite imagery help farmers to monitor corn reproductive stages?

The ability to monitor crop progress and spot problems in the field before symptoms are apparent is crucial for a successful harvest. Exciting advancements in technology allow us to capture images of farms around the world with the aid of satellites, thus making monitoring simple and affordable.

In the tasseling phase, the crop is vulnerable to insect infestations and disease outbreaks. This phase lasts between 10 to 14 days and it’s crucial to keep an eye on the crop during this time. With the aid of remote sensing monitoring, we can identify the transition to the tasselig phase very accurately. The accuracy of the analysis is very high if we use satellites that visit the fields on a daily basis as we are able to provide the identification of the phase transition in a few days lag.

To monitor the phase transition we monitor the Leaf area index (LAI). LAI is a measure of leaf surface area per unit of ground area. Corn tasseling prediction based on leaf area index is a technique that uses LAI measurements to estimate when corn will enter its reproductive phase. Monitoring the leaf area index with satellites is a new and innovative way to monitor vegetation. It’s an alternative to traditional methods of monitoring vegetation with ground-based measurement.