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

• Published in: GIScience and remote sensing Vol. 50; no. 3; pp. 349 - 357
• Main Authors: Araujo Picoli, Michelle Cristina, Camargo Lamparelli, Rubens Augusto, Sano, Edson Eyji, Batista de Mello, Jefferson Rodrigo, Rocha, Jansle Vieira
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Taylor & Francis 01-06-2013
• Subjects: L-band; remote sensing; row directions; sugarcane; synthetic aperture radar (SAR); varieties; Brazil
• ISSN: 1943-7226; 1548-1603; 1943-7226
• DOI: 10.1080/15481603.2013.808457

This study investigated the effects of sugarcane-planting row directions in the HH- and VV-polarized, ALOS/PALSAR imageries. Twenty sugarcane fields from São Paulo State, Brazil, were classified into rows parallel and rows perpendicular to the range direction of the satellite. Backscattering coefficients (σ°) from 10 images were analyzed. For HH polarization, σ° values from fields with perpendicular rows were higher than those from parallel rows (∼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.