Using Plant Phenology and Landsat-8
Satellite Data to Quantify Water Use by Onion Crop in the Mesilla Valley, New
Mexico
Cantekin KIVRAK1*, A. Salim BAWAZIR2,
Zohrab SAMANI3, Caiti STEELE4, and Bülent SÖNMEZ5
1.
Graduate Student, Dept. of Civil Engineering, New Mexico State
University, MSC 3CE, PO Box 30001, Las Cruces, NM 88003, E-mail: cantekin@nmsu.edu , Corresponding
author
2.
Associate Professor, Dept. of Civil Engineering, New Mexico State
University, MSC 3CE, PO Box 30001, Las Cruces, NM 88003, E-mail: abawazir@nmsu.edu
3.
Professor, Dept. of Civil Engineering, New Mexico State University,
MSC 3CE, PO Box 30001, Las Cruces, NM 88003, E-mail: zsamani@nmsu.edu
4.
Assistant
Professor, Dept. of Plant and Environmental Science Jornada Experimental Range
Station, USDA-ARS-Jornada Experimental Range, P.O. Box 30003, MSC 3JER, NMSU,
Las Cruces, NM 88003, E-mail: caiti@nmsu.edu
5.
Dept.
Chair of Soil and Water Resources, MFAL, General Directorate of Agricultural Research
and Policies, Ankara, TURKEY, E-mail: bulent.sonmez@tarim.gov.tr
ABSTRACT
Non-storage summer
dry onion crop is among the top 10 agricultural commodities in New Mexico (NM),
USA. In 2000, NM was ranked the second in the nation as the leading state in
growing summer dry onion. According to USDA statistical records, onion
production or sales in NM was valued at $91.4 million. Mesilla Valley is one of
the major onion-producing regions of NM. Due to many years of drought in the
region and the concern for climate change, irrigation managers and decision
makers are interested in quantifying water use or evapotranspiration (ET) and
the number of acreage of onion crop grown in the Valley. This information can
then be used for managing the scarce water resources of the region. Plant phenology, Landsat-8 satellite data,
and USDA crop data were used to identify onion crops in the Valley (area of
about 47,000 ha) and to determine their consumptive water use or ET using
remote sensing Regional ET Estimation Model (REEM) from 2014 through 2016. Time
series of NDVI clearly identified Fall and Spring-season onion crops in the
Valley. REEM estimated Spring-season onion crop maximum ET of 973 mm in 2015 and
975 mm in 2016 during the growing season. These values compared reasonably well
to ET estimates of 894 and 955 mm for the same periods (i.e. 2015 and 2016)
using FAO-56 crop coefficient based method.
The methodology presented could be used in other regions to identify
onion crops and their consumptive water use.
Key words:Onion, NDVI, Evapotranspiration, Landsat-8,
Remote Sensing
Primary Language | English |
---|---|
Journal Section | Makaleler |
Authors | |
Publication Date | June 30, 2019 |
Published in Issue | Year 2019 Volume: 5 Issue: 1 |