EGU25-13590, updated on 15 Mar 2025
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-13590
EGU General Assembly 2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
The use of remote sensing techniques to determine the nitrogen uptake by oats on highly variable sandy soils
Aleksandra Franz1, Józef Sowiński1, Arkadiusz Głogowski2,3, and Wiesław Fiałkiewicz4
Aleksandra Franz et al.
  • 1Institute of Agroecology and Crop Production, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences,: ! MSc Student
  • 2Hydrogeology research group, Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, Switzerland
  • 3Department of Environmental Protection and Development, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences
  • 4Institute of Environmental Engineering, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences

Abstract

Precision agriculture has become a critical approach for achieving efficient crop production while addressing the challenge of sustainable management of natural resources. A key component of precision agriculture is optimizing plant fertilization to maximize yields while minimizing environmental impact. Traditional methods of assessing plant nutritional status and fertilizer needs, such as soil and plant sampling, can be costly and time-consuming. Remote sensing techniques offer an alternative, reducing both the cost and time required for accurate fertilizer dose determination. Additionally, these methods provide more comprehensive information with higher spatial resolution.

This study aimed to investigate the potential of remote sensing techniques, specifically satellite imagery from Sentinel-2, to determine the nutritional needs of oats grown on highly heterogeneous soils. Field studies and satellite data analysis were conducted on an oats cultivation field situated on sandy soil with significant spatial heterogeneity in southwestern Poland. Observations and measurements were performed during the BBCH growth stages 12, 31, 49, 77, and 99.

Nitrogen uptake was calculated based on biomass yield and nitrogen content in crop samples taken at 40 designated points within the field. The AGRICOLUS software and Copernicus services were used for remote sensing monitoring of oats growth, while satellite images were processed at specific intervals to calculate selected remote sensing indices using QGIS software. Spectral data were used to determine indices such as NDVI, GNDVI, SAVI, EVI, NDMI, and MCARI.

The results demonstrated that soil heterogeneity had a significant impact on oats development and its nutritional requirements. Base on outcomes the linear model for N uptake was developed, where GNDVI and percentage content of sand in the soil where used for estimation of the nitrogen uptake.  The study confirmed that remote sensing, particularly the GNDVI index, is a highly effective tool for managing fertilization during the early growth stages of oats on light soils with high spatial variability. Therefore remote sensing techniques can be used for real-time monitoring of spatial variability, facilitating precision management of the crops.

Research carried out as part of the OPUS-LAP project entitled "Sustainable nitrogen fertilization for agricultural crops based on open laboratory and field experiments with integrated near-real-time hydrological modeling" (grant number: 2022/47/I/ST10/02453)

How to cite: Franz, A., Sowiński, J., Głogowski, A., and Fiałkiewicz, W.: The use of remote sensing techniques to determine the nitrogen uptake by oats on highly variable sandy soils, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-13590, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-13590, 2025.