Estimating wheat growth for radar vegetation indices

In this study, we computed the Radar Vegetation Index (RVI) using observations made with a ground based multi-frequency polarimetric scatterometer system over an entire wheat growth period. The temporal variations of the backscattering coefficients for L-, C-, and X-band, RVI, Vegetation water content (VWC), and fresh weight were analyzed. We found that the L-band RVI was very sensitive to VWC and fresh weight. Based on the correlation analysis between RVI and these growth parameters, we developed equations for estimation VWC and fresh weight.