Prediction of maize (Zea mays L.) population using normalized-difference vegetative index (NDVI) and coefficient of variation (CV)

The process of improving crop management inputs by use of remote sensing devices is a new technology. This study presents the use of the normalized-difference vegetative index (NDVI) combined with the coefficient of variation (CV) to predict plant populations in corn (Zea mays L.) over different growth stages and different locations. About 76 plots were selected from the two sites to conduct this research. The results showed that we were not able to reliably predict plant population at lately growth stages because the canopy covered the soil with overlapping leaves. However, at early growth stages, the results suggest that as the corn plant emerged from the soil, the biomass per unit area was small and the sensor technology application for prediction of plant population was possible. Further studies may be designed based on this observation to investigate the possibility at early growth stages such as V2 and V3.