Horticultural Studies (HortiS) 2004, Vol 21, Num, 2     (Pages: 5-18)

NEW APPROACHES TO THE YIELD ESTIMATION STUDIES: REMOTE SENSING AND AGROMETOROLOGICAL METHODS

Namık Kemal SÖNMEZ 1 ,Mustafa SARI 2

1 Batı Akdeniz Tarımsal Araştırma Enstitüsü
2 Akdeniz Üniversitesi Ziraat Fakültesi Toprak Bölümü
Viewed : 1491 - Downloaded : 893 Determination of agricultural areas and yield estimation of agricultural products before harvesting period are important processes for domestic and international markets. Yield and area estimation studies conducted with conventional methods do not provide reliable results and are also costly and time consuming. Recently developed technologies and methods have been proven to be more reliable, faster and relatively inexpensive. Among the latest techniques that have been developed is remote sensing. The remote sensing technology has been employed by many developed countries to assess usage of agricultural fields and to estimate agricultural production with great precision. In addition, today's yield estimation studies also employ, along with satellite data, statistical methods utilizing agro-meteorological data. In this article, possible applications of various remote sensing technologies and agro-meteorological data for agricultural field assessment and yield estimation were discussed. It was concluded that in Turkey such studies have to be based on new technologies, too. Thus, it is necessary to develop new methods that employ both remote sensing technology and agro-meteorological elements that have to be suitable for various ecological regions. Keywords : Area Determination, Yield Estimation, Remote Sensing, Agrotemorological Data