WHEAT YIELD ESTIMATION IN RUSSIA WITH MODIS TIME-SERIES DATA BASED ON LIGHT USE EFFICIENCY MODEL

Wheat yield estimation in this paper is based on the above ground biomass estimation. The model of above ground biomass estimation requires satellite data, which express the vegetation status. The model was applied in Russia where winter wheat is widely grown. The results showed a high accuracy in estimating winter wheat yield. The range of fractional differences between estimated and observed yields is between -0.40 and 0.50 in 2011, and 83% of the fractional differences are between -0.30 and 0.30. When this method is used in large areas, parameters calibration is crucial. We also summarize that in future study, high resolution images, meteorological factors retrieved by remote sensing data and more field observed data should be used to improve the method.