Evaluation of a Novel Approach to Near Real-Time Estimation of Crop Water Consumption from Satellite and Drone Observations

The rapidly increasing spatial and temporal resolution of optical satellite observations and significant improvements and cost reductions of drone platforms and associated land surface imaging hardware make remote sensing (RS) techniques highly viable for farm-level, near real-time estimation of soil moisture and crop water consumption (i.e., evapotranspiration). This information can be used as decision support by Yuma producers and irrigation districts for accurate water allotment planning and irrigation scheduling, or help farmers in Central Arizona with water conservation, which is vital in view of looming Central Arizona Project (CAP) water reductions. It will be possible to establish water budgets for large farms and determine water productivity, water use efficiency, irrigation efficiency, and crop water availability considering the varying soil properties.