Integration of maximum crop response with machine learning regression model to timely estimate crop yield

Qiming Zhou*, Ali Ismaeel

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articlepeer-review

12 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Timely and reliable estimation of regional crop yield is a vital component of food security assessment, especially in developing regions. The traditional crop forecasting methods need ample time and labor to collect and process field data to release official yield reports. Satellite remote sensing data is considered a cost-effective and accurate way of predicting crop yield at pixel-level. In this study, maximum Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI) during the crop-growing season was integrated with Machine Learning Regression (MLR) models to estimate wheat and rice yields in Pakistan’s Punjab province. Five MLR models were compared using a fivefold cross-validation method for their predictive accuracy. The study results revealed that the regression model based on the Gaussian process outperformed over other models. The best performing model attained coefficient of determination (R2), Root Mean Square Error (RMSE, t/ha), and Mean Absolute Error (MAE, t/ha) of 0.75, 0.281, and 0.236 for wheat; 0.68, 0.112, and 0.091 for rice, respectively. The proposed method made it feasible to predict wheat and rice 6–8 weeks before the harvest. The early prediction of crop yield and its spatial distribution in the region can help formulate efficient agricultural policies for sustainable social, environmental, and economic progress.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)474-483
Number of pages10
JournalGeo-Spatial Information Science
Volume24
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 6 Aug 2021

Scopus Subject Areas

  • Geography, Planning and Development
  • Computers in Earth Sciences

User-Defined Keywords

  • Machine learning
  • crop yield
  • remote sensing
  • timely forecast

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