Latvia-Ukraine cooperation program of the Latvian Science Council agreement No. LV_UA/2024/9
Project partners: LSFRI "Silava" and Institute of Bioenergy Crops and Sugar Beet (Ukraine).
The aim of the project is to develop a comprehensive forecasting system for bioenergy crop yield based on the assessment of plant vitality using portable spectrophotometers, the analysis of satellite and other remote sensing data, and the application of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy for the characterisation of nutrient status in soils and plant tissues. The project is intended to identify relationships between plant growth and development, weather conditions, nutrient regime and agronomic measures in order to establish a practically applicable forecasting system for bioenergy crop production.
The project addresses a major challenge in the bioenergy sector, namely the lack of timely and spatially explicit information on crop condition, productivity and yield potential. Such information is essential for improving cultivation technologies, increasing resource-use efficiency and strengthening the contribution of the bioenergy sector to the national economy. The research integrates field observations, spectral analyses, satellite information and modelling approaches into a unified framework suitable for evaluating crop development, nutrient availability and biomass accumulation.
During the first stage of the project, a methodology was developed for the spatial characterisation of bioenergy crops using satellite, piloted aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicle data. In parallel, an FTIR-based methodology for nutrient assessment in soils and plants was developed and validated. Extensive soil sample analyses were carried out using sample libraries from Latvia and Ukraine, and analytical data collection for the characterisation of plant material was initiated.
During the second stage, the integration of satellite information into the forecasting system was further advanced for land-use characterisation and modelling of biomass input. Sentinel-2 data were analysed to assess their applicability in precision agriculture and bioenergy crop monitoring. At the same time, the FTIR method was further refined and validated using large sample sets from different studies together with materials obtained from Ukraine. The project demonstrated that combining remote sensing and spectral data is a promising approach for characterising land use, crop status and potential yield, although accurate modelling still requires more extensive local calibration datasets and phenological observations.
The main outcomes of the project include a methodological basis for the characterisation of bioenergy crops using remote sensing data, a validated FTIR approach for assessing soil properties and nutrient elements, and the necessary preconditions for the development of crop yield forecasting models. The project results can support planning of bioenergy crop production, more precise fertilisation and other agronomic measures, as well as the broader development of sustainable bio-resource use and renewable energy solutions.