REFLECTANCE, GREEN LEAF-AREA INDEX AND EAR HYDRIC STATUS OF WHEAT FROM ANTHESIS UNTIL MATURITY

The anthesis-to-maturity period is a deciding phase in end wheat-yield because it corresponds to formation and filling of the grains. An experimental approach showed that it was possible to estimate an agronomical variable (EWC = ear water concentration) related to phenological development from multidate radiometric data in the SPOT bands. We found that a combination of spectral bands such as NDVI (normalised difference vegetation index) allows EWC to be estimated through time (r2 = 0.90 and confidence interval = +/-5.2 per cent). Thus, it is possible to monitor the wheat developmental stage after anthesis and to detect precisely the end of grain filling.