Estimating Mean Field Residue Cover on Midwestern Soils Using Satellite Imagery, 2009

This paper assesses satellite imagery methods for estimating crop residue cover on Midwestern soils, emphasizing techniques that support soil conservation and erosion reduction. Using Landsat data, the authors developed and tested several indices, finding that the normalized difference residue index (NDRI, Bands 3 and 7) and normalized difference tillage index (NDTI, Bands 5 and 7) performed best, especially before crop emergence when vegetation interference is minimal. They also demonstrated that correcting for live vegetation with NDVI improves the accuracy of residue estimates, although some precision loss occurs once vegetation appears. Ultimately, these methods can offer timely, cost-effective monitoring for conservation practitioners and farmers, aiding in targeting residue management and tillage education where it is most needed.