X-B8, 2012 
  
International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, Volume XXXIX-B8, 2012 
XXII ISPRS Congress, 25 August - 01 September 2012, Melbourne, Australia 
EVALUATION OF WHEAT GROWTH MONITORING METHODS 
BASED ON HYPERSPECTRAL DATA OF LATER GRAIN FILLING 
AND HEADING STAGES IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA 
T. Nakanishi **, Y. Imai *, T. Morita *, Y. Akamatsu', S. Odagawa 5 T. Takeda and O. Kashimura * 
? Kokusai Kogyo Co., Ltd. 2-24-1 Harumi-cho, Fuchu-shi, Tokyo, 183-0057, Japan - (taira nakanishi, yasuteru imai, 
taichi_morita, yukio_akamatsu)@kk-grp.jp 
b Asia Air Survey Co., Ltd. 1-2-2 Manpukuji, Asao-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa, 21 5-0004, Japan - 
sh.odagawa@ajiko.co.jp 
* Japan Space Systems. 3-5-8 Shibakoen, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 105-0011, Japan - (takeda-tomomi, kashimura- 
osamu)@jspacesystems.or.jp 
Commission VIII/6, Agriculture, Ecosystems and Bio-Diversity 
KEY WORDS: Hyperspectral imaging, Remote monitoring, Agricultural products, Moisture, LAI 
ABSTRACT: 
This study estimated the wheat yield, quality, and growth conditions using hyperspectral data of the later grain filling and heading 
stages. The study area is located in the suburbs of Mullewa, Western Australia. Various data used included spectral reflectance of 
wheat measured from the ground and those measured using airborne sensors, wheat growth conditions data, such as LAI, SPAD 
values, and wheat height, and sample analysis data, including biomass, grain nitrogen content rate, leaf nitrogen content rate, and ash 
content, of the later grain filling and heading stages. This study consisted of (1) selection of estimation items regarding the wheat 
yield, quality, and growth conditions by correlation analysis of sample data, (2) definition of estimate equations for selected items, 
(3) verification of estimation accuracy, and (4) development of estimation maps. As a result, head moisture, which is related to the 
wheat growth conditions, was well estimated using hyperspectral data of the later grain filling stage. At the same time, grain weight, 
which is related to the wheat yield, and grain nitrogen content rate and ash content, which are related to the wheat quality, were well 
estimated using hyperspectral data of the heading stage. This study implies that it is possible to visualize the wheat yield, quality, 
and growth conditions on a regional scale using hyperspectral data. 
1. INTRODUCTION 2. STUDY AREA 
Australia plays a key role to ensure food security of Japan. The study area is located in the suburbs of Mullewa, Western 
Approximately 9096 of wheat consumed in Japan is imported Australia (Figure 1). The area is approximately 480km? with 
from overseas countries. Among all countries, Australia is the mostly flat land features, and is mainly used for wheat, canola, 
thrid most important country because raw materials used to and lupin fields which size is several square kilometers. 
produce noodles in Japan are imported mostly from Australia. 
However, the Australian wheat production is vulnerable to 
natural disasters such as droughts. Therefore, it is desirable to 
develop the growth monitoring system to ensure the stable 
Australian wheat supply in the future. 
Profitable agriculture requires efficient and precise estimation 
method for crop growth monitoring. Spaceborne sensors with a 
high wavelength resolution can improve the efficiency and 
precision of the estimation. The Ministry of Economy, Trade 
and Industry (METI) of Japan plays a leading role in the 
development of the satellite-borne hyperspectral sensor, HISUI 
(Hyper-spectral Imager SUIte), and researches on fundamental 
technology for hyperspectral data's applications in various 
fields such as energy, natural resources, agriculture, forestry, 
and the environment. In the field of agriculture, hyperspectral 
imaging is experimentally used to estimate the yield, quality, 
and growth of rice and wheat. Accordingly, we evaluated 
methods to estimate the wheat yield, quality, and growth 
conditions using ground-based and airborne hyperspectral data 
of the later grain filling and heading stages in Western Australia. 
  
Figure 1: Study Area 
3. DATA USED 
The first field survey was conducted in the late October, which 
is around the same time as the later grain filling stage of wheat, 
of the year 2009 (Table 1). Ground-based hyperspectral data 
  
* Corresponding author.