An Optimal Crop Residue Radiometer

There is a need for a simple, cost-effective procedure for making accurate estimates of crop residue in agricultural fields. The objectives of this Phase I effort is to conduct the research required to design a light-weight, affordable hand-held spectral radiometer and associated spectral algorithm for quickly making field estimates of percent crop residue cover. The specific tasks that will be addressed in order to meet project objectives are: 1) the development of a high spectral resolution data set of relectance measurements of a national sample of soils and crop residues; 2) an assessment of the optimal spectral regions for assessing crop residue cover, as well as an assessment of the general form of a spectral algorithm using these spectral bands; and 3) a preliminary assessment of hardware opportunities and constraints in building a cost-effective crop residue radiometer.