Spectral Indices as a Tool for Hop Growth Evaluation

Abstract

The use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) to monitor crop growth is nowadays a common non-invasive way how to obtain information on the current state of crops. Spectral indices derived from multispectral images obtained in the right growth stage can then serve as a good data source for agro-technical interventions and yield estimation. Hop belongs among the crops where it is possible to scan the individual growth parameters very exactly. In the year 2021, significant precipitation amounts were recorded during the growing season, when it turned out that UAVs are a very powerful tool for determining the quality of production or quantification of vegetation damage compared to the previous year (2020). It was found that the common spectral indices were possible to use for calculation leaf area, structure, vigor and chlorophyll content of hop gardens