Effect of sugarcane-planting row directions on ALOS/PALSAR satellite images

This study investigated the effects of sugarcane-planting row directions in the HH- and VV-polarized, ALOS/PALSAR imageries. Twenty sugarcane fields from SAo Paulo State, Brazil, were classified into rows parallel and rows perpendicular to the range direction of the satellite. Backscattering coefficients (sigma degrees) from 10 images were analyzed. For HH polarization, sigma degrees values from fields with perpendicular rows were higher than those from parallel rows (approximate to 1.2 dB). For HV polarization, there was no statistically significant difference. Therefore, HV-polarized PALSAR images are preferable for producing maps of cultivated areas with sugarcane or to discriminate sugarcane varieties, among other applications.