Apple Crop Health Detection Based on Vegetation Indices at Shalimar, Kashmir: North-Western Himalayas
Latief Ahmad
Division of Agrometeorology, Faculty of Horticulture, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-K), Shalimar, Jammu & Kashmir 190025, India.
Ifra Ashraf
College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, 190025, Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir, India.
Sameera Qayoom *
Division of Agrometeorology, Faculty of Horticulture, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-K), Shalimar, Jammu & Kashmir 190025, India.
M. Ayoub Malik
Division of Agrometeorology, Faculty of Horticulture, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-K), Shalimar, Jammu & Kashmir 190025, India.
Anurag Satpathi
Division of Agrometeorology, Faculty of Horticulture, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-K), Shalimar, Jammu & Kashmir 190025, India.
Nivedita Bagga
Chaudhary Sarwan Kumar Himachal Pradesh Krishi Vishvavidyalaya, Palampur, HP, India.
Aiyesha Shabir
Division of Agrometeorology, Faculty of Horticulture, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-K), Shalimar, Jammu & Kashmir 190025, India.
Raqeeb Ul Haq
Division of Agrometeorology, Faculty of Horticulture, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-K), Shalimar, Jammu & Kashmir 190025, India.
Shoieb Rasool
Division of Agrometeorology, Faculty of Horticulture, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-K), Shalimar, Jammu & Kashmir 190025, India.
Basharat Bashir
Division of Agrometeorology, Faculty of Horticulture, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-K), Shalimar, Jammu & Kashmir 190025, India.
Afshan Tabasum
Division of Agrometeorology, Faculty of Horticulture, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-K), Shalimar, Jammu & Kashmir 190025, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Apple orchard health monitoring is important for supporting timely crop management under the temperate conditions of Kashmir Valley. The present study evaluated the seasonal behaviour of four Sentinel-2-derived vegetation indices, namely the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index, Modified Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index and Enhanced Vegetation Index, in a 2 ha apple orchard at SKUAST-K, Shalimar, Kashmir, during the 2020 growing season. Sentinel-2 imagery acquired from April to September was processed using SNAP and QGIS, and mean vegetation index values were extracted for the orchard area. Monthly weather data, including average temperature and rainfall, were obtained from the on-campus meteorological observatory. Ground observations at 20 georeferenced points were used to support the interpretation of canopy development, phenological stage and visible plant health condition. All four vegetation indices showed a seasonal increase from April to July-August, followed by a decline during September-October, corresponding to canopy development, fruit maturation, harvest and senescence. Based on the monthly values presented in the study, temperature showed positive associations with the vegetation indices, with the strongest relationship observed for MSAVI, followed by NDVI and SAVI. Rainfall showed weak and non-significant associations with the indices during the study period. The results indicate that Sentinel-2-derived vegetation indices can reflect seasonal canopy dynamics in apple orchards under the studied conditions. MSAVI appeared particularly useful for representing canopy development, while field observations remained necessary for interpreting pest, disease and phenological effects.
Keywords: Apple orchard, Sentinel-2, vegetation indices, canopy dynamics, crop health monitoring, QGIS