Can Early Season NDVI and Canopy Cover Measurements Predict Yield Potential in Spring Wheat.

Research was conducted to determine if early canopy cover could be a good predictor of yield and the need to manage in-season nitrogen to ensure that protein levels meet market requirements in spring wheat. In a number of experiments conducted in North Dakota and Minnesota in 2015, repeated measurement of the percent green leaf coverage of the soil using Canopeo™ software and NDVI using a hand held GreenSeeker™ were made between the three-leaf stage and prior to full canopy cover. Correlations between canopy cover and NDVI were high early in the season. Prior to full canopy cover, these values were generally highly predictive of plant stands in experiments where plant populations varied but fertilizer levels were constant. The relationships between these early measurements and yield and grain protein at harvest will be determined. Estimating the yield potential very early in the season could be useful to growers if determining that extra nitrogen may be needed in order to reach the protein level required to avoid discounts or to obtain a protein premium.