Canola Phenology Mapping Using Optical and Synthetic Aperture Radar (Sar) in Canada

A plethora of studies have empirically demonstrated and linked canola heat stress susceptibility to substantial yield losses. Such biophysical phenomenon underscores the importance of timely and accurate monitoring of crop phenological events. Optical and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data, to meet such a requirement, have aided in developing diverse yet complementary information for crop monitoring. In this study, we investigate 47 satellite-based Land Surface Parameters (LSPs) from Sentinel-1 and -2 imagery to monitor canola phenology across arable lands in Saskatchewan, Canada. Daily ground reference phenological data were collected using trail-cameras installed across 28 canola fields. We constructed daily time-series profiles for each LSP by coupling a cubic interpolation algorithm with a Savitzky-Golay filtering. LSPs were correlated with ground reference data to investigate temporal trends and sensitivity of specific patterns to phenological events. Preliminary results indicate that SAR-based LSPs were most sensitive to canola bolting and pod maturity, while flowering and associated stages are mapped efficiently through optical indices.