11.5 Tiny Bytes: NDVI: Turning Plant Color into Actionable Farm Data

NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetative Index) helps farmers detect how green and/or productive different areas of their fields are by measuring the ratio of near-infrared to red light reflected from plant canopies. This technology creates reliable productivity zone maps when analyzed consistently over multiple growing seasons, enabling targeted input management across variable field conditions.In this Tiny Byte Sarah and Jodi cover:• NDVI measures plant canopy density by comparing near-infrared light reflection to red light absorption• Chlorophyll absorbs visible light while plant cell structures reflect near-infrared light• NDVI values range from -1 to 1 (or ~0-100 in ADMS) with higher values indicating denser vegetation• Creating reliable management zones requires multiple years of imagery, not just single snapshots• Best imagery comes from periods when crop canopy is developing or starting to senesce• NDVI data often correlates with yield potential and can identify consistently productive field areas• Zone management allows targeted input application based on productivity potential• The most valuable NDVI images show variation in greenness rather than complete saturationCheck out our backlog episode "Choosing Quality Imagery" in Season 1 for more information on selecting the best imagery for creating management zones. https://www.buzzsprout.com/2297340/episodes/16135793https://gktechinc.com/https://gktechinc.com/