Vegetation indexes and delineation of management zones for soybean1

ABSTRACT The delimitation of site-specific management zones may be an operational and economically feasible approach in precision agriculture. This study aimed at investigating the spatial correlations between spectral indexes sampled during different growth stages of soybean and crop yield. Soil attributes stratified in each zone and the influence of altitude were also assessed. The simple ratio index, normalized difference vegetation index and soil-adjusted vegetation index were calculated for soybean at the V6, R5 and R5.5 stages. Spatial dependence analysis via semivariogram was performed for the vegetation indexes, soybean yield and terrain elevation. The crop yield map was taken as a reference to assess the spatial agreement with the different maps generated from the spectral indexes. The average values for chemical and granulometric soil attributes were calculated and analyzed by their means among the zones delineated. The field division into two management zones, due to the combination of altitude, simple ratio index of the V6 stage and soil-adjusted vegetation index of the R5.5 stage, showed the highest agreement with the soybean yield map. Differences between the delineated zones were identified for the phosphorus, clay and silt contents.