Reflectance-based assessment of spider mite “bio-response” to maize leaves and plant potassium content in different irrigation regimes

It is widely accepted that pest infestations elicit a change in plant physiology, which cause detectable changes in crop leaf reflectance. In this study, we test the hypothesis that crop leaf reflectance may also be used to forecast the risk of pest infestation before they actually occur. We collected reflectance data in 160 spectral bands from 405 to 907 nm from excised leaf pieces from field grown maize plants under 3 irrigation regimes. Leaf material was collected at weekly intervals in two growing seasons. The same leaf pieces were used in choice bioassays with carmine spider mites to assess attractiveness to mites (spider mite “bio-response”) across irrigation regimes. In one growing season, we also obtained nutritional element data (lipid, protein, soluble sugar, starch, lignin, Ca, P, Mg, K, S, and Cl) from whole maize plants. Principal component analysis showed that potassium content (K) was highly negatively correlated with spider mite bio-response. Relative reflectance at 740 nm showed a highly significant and positive trend across spider mite bio-response classes, and that potassium content showed a highly significant and negative trend across the same classes. Thus, we argue that relative reflectance at 740 nm may be used to predict both potassium content and risk of spider mite infestation. Based on extensive reviews, potassium leaf content is known to reduce susceptibility of crops to pests. The results presented provide encouraging support for remotely sensed risk assessment of pest infestations through reflectance-based monitoring of maize leaf attractiveness and highlight that reflectance based monitoring of crop susceptibility may be possible through careful management of macro element crop properties, such as potassium content.     

富阳市湿地资源现状分析与保护对策研究

采用遥感卫片判读和野外人工调查相结合的方法,调查得出富阳市各类湿地的面积数量和空间分布,并进一步分析湿地的成因、水源补给和受威胁状况,提出加强湿地宣传教育、提高全社会的湿地保护意识,完善地方法规、加强湿地综合管理和建立完善的湿地监测体系等相应的保护对策.     

Forest fragmentation in Loudoun County,Virginia, USA evaluated with multitemporal Landsat imagery

In order to study forest fragmentation in the Virginia, USA Piedmont, a series of Landsat images from 1973, 1987, and 1999 covering a rapidly developing area (Loudoun County) was used to classify forest from non-forest. The classified images were analyzed using a geographic information system (GIS) to determine the spatial and temporal patterns of fragmentation, and to relate these patterns to infrared radiance provided by Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) band 6. The analysis was concentrated on eleven major watersheds of Loudoun County. The relationship between urbanized area per watershed and mean fragment size showed a strong negative decay form (r ²=0.757, p<0.0001). Analysis of four landscape metrics showed increasing fragmentation of forest cover, particularly from 1987 to 1999, as well as an increase in forest edge and shape complexity. Of the landscape metrics used, the perimeter-to-area (P/A) ratio showed the strongest relationship with mean radiance of forest patches. In addition, there was a negative, linear relationship between distance from major roads and band 6 radiance of forested pixels. Overall, the study shows that landscape metrics can convey meaningful information on biophysical changes associated with forest fragmentation at broad scales. These changes suggest that ambient temperature increases associated with urban sprawl may have important, long-term implications for ecophysiological processes.     

Characterizing the complexity of landscape boundaries by remote sensing

This paper presents a method for characterizing the complexity of landscape boundaries by remote sensing. This characterization is supported by a new boundary typology, that takes into account points where three or more landcovers converge (i.e., convergency points or coverts). Landscape boundary richness and diversity indices were proposed and calculated over 19 landscapes in South-East Brazil. Results showed that landscape boundaries, especially convergency points, provided an enrichment in landscape pattern analysis. Landcover boundary diversities were significantly related to landcover shape: elongated riparian units had the highest values for boundary diversity and coverts proportion indices. On the other hand, landscape analysis showed that indices of shape, richness, diversity and coverts proportion provided an additional evaluation of landcover spatial distribution within the landscape.     

Applying Local Measures of Spatial Heterogeneity to Landsat-TM Images for Predicting Wildfire Occurrence in Mediterranean Landscapes

In mountainous Mediterranean regions, land abandonment processes in past decades are hypothesized to trigger secondary vegetal succession and homogenization, which in recent years has increased the size of burned areas. We conducted an analysis of temporal changes in landscape vegetal spatial pattern over a 15-year period (1984–1998) in a rural area of 672.3 km² in Eastern Spain to investigate the relationship between local landscape heterogeneity and wildfire occurrence. Heterogeneity was analyzed from textural metrics derived from non-classified remote sensing data at several periods, and was related to wildfire history in the study area. Several neural network models found significant relationships between local spatial pattern and future fire occurrence. In this study, sensitivity analysis of the texture variables suggested that fire occurrence, estimated as probability of burning in the near future, increased where local homogeneity was higher.     

地面高光谱和低空遥感监测小麦白粉病初探

利用手持式高光谱仪和基于数字技术的低空遥感系统，对不同严重度小麦白粉病冠层光谱反射率进行了测定，同时调查病情指数，分析不同时期地面平台光谱反射率与病情指数及低空遥感平台反射率与病情指数（disease index，DI）、归一化植被指数（normalized difference vegetable index，NDVI）相关性。结果表明，地面光谱测量冠层光谱反射率和低空遥感数字图像反射率与小麦白粉病病情指数在灌浆期有显著的相关关系，就地面测量结果而言，近红外波段的相关性高于绿光波段，相关系数分别为0．79和0．54；低空遥感数字图像红、绿、蓝三波段中，相关性依次降低，相关系数分别为0．79、0．75和0．62；而且低空遥感图像与归一化植被指数也存在较好的相关关系，蓝、红、绿波段，相关系数依次为0．70、0．68和0．54。这表明利用遥感非破坏性监测小麦白粉痛有着良好的应用前景，对于小麦白粉病发生面积监测有重要意义。     

Land Use – Land Cover Conversion, Regeneration and Degradation in the High Elevation Bolivian Andes

Regional land-cover change affects biodiversity, hydrology, and biogeochemical cycles at local, watershed, and landscape scales. Developing countries are experiencing rapid land cover change, but assessment is often restricted by limited financial resources, accessibility, and historical data. The assessment of regional land cover patterns is often the first step in developing conservation and management plans. This study used remotely sensed land cover and topographic data (Landsat and Shuttle Radar Topography Mission), supervised classification techniques, and spectral mixture analysis to characterize current landscape patterns and quantify land cover change from 1985 to 2003 in the Altiplano (2535–4671 m) and Intermediate Valley (Mountain) (1491–4623 m) physiographic zones in the Southeastern Bolivian Andes. Current land cover was mapped into six classes with an overall accuracy of 88% using traditional classification techniques and limited field data. The land cover change analysis showed that extensive deforestation, desertification, and agricultural expansion at a regional scale occurred in the last 20 years (17.3% of the Mountain Zone and 7.2% of the Altiplano). Spectral mixture analysis (SMA) indicated that communal rangeland degradation has also occurred, with increases in soil and non-photosynthetic vegetation fractions in most cover classes. SMA also identified local areas with intensive management activities that are changing differently from the overall region (e.g., localized areas of increased green vegetation). This indicates that actions of local communities, governments, and environmental managers can moderate the potentially severe future changes implied by the results of this study.     

利用遥感技术监测锡林郭勒天然草原利用强度方法初探

利用多时相的遥感数据，对2005年锡林郭勒天然草原生长期放牧利用强度进行了信息提取、监测和制图。结果表明：在牧草生长季节，天然草原各旬度的利用强度与植被指数旬度变动系数成反比，并与降雨和植被长势时空分布格局相一致；放牧初期旬度变动系数下降4％左右，利用强度较轻，处于轻度过牧状态；6月中旬以后，旬度变动系数下降12％～20％之间，利用强度加重，处于中度超载过牧状态；8月下旬后植物生长停止，旬度变动系数下降27％左右，利用强度最重，处于重度超载过牧状态。遥感监测结果经过地面同步采集数据验证，监测精度达到79．6％。     

Geospatial methods provide timely and comprehensive urban forest information

Urban forests are unique and highly valued resources. However, trees in urban forests are often under greater stress than those in rural or undeveloped areas due to soil compaction, restricted growing spaces, high temperatures, and exposure to air and water pollution. In addition, conditions change more quickly in urban as opposed to rural and undeveloped settings. Subsequently, proactive management of urban forests can be challenging and requires the availability of current and comprehensive information. Geospatial tools, such as, geographic information systems (GIS), global positioning systems (GPS) and remote sensing, work extremely well together for gathering, analyzing, and reporting information. Many urban forest management questions could be quickly and effectively addressed using geospatial methods and tools. The geospatial tools can provide timely and extensive spatial data from which urban forest attributes can be derived, such as land cover, forest structure, species composition and condition, heat island effects, and carbon storage. Emerging geospatial tools that could be adapted for urban forest applications include data fusion, virtual reality, three-dimensional visualization, Internet delivery, modeling, and emergency response.     

草地植被盖度的近距离遥感测定

盖度或者覆盖度是植物群落结构的一个重要数量指标。通常的目视估测植物群落盖度方法不仅精度低,而且因人而异。本研究采用近距离遥感方法测定草地植物群落盖度,该方法主要包括数据获取、图像处理、像元数量提取和盖度计算4个部分。精度评价表明,该方法测定的绿色植被盖度误差很小,与目视估测方法比较,它具有客观、一致和精度高的优点。