Remotely sensed estimation of annual cotton production under different environmental conditions in Central Greece

This study proposes an innovative approach for investigating the accumulated meteorological effects on cotton during the growing season. The quantification of the weather effects is based on the application of the Bhalme and Mooley drought index (BMDI) methodology on the vegetation condition index (VCI) extracted by NOAA/AVHRR data. The resulted Bhalme and Mooley vegetation condition index (BMVCI) is in the same scale as the Z-index, as proposed in the Palmer drought severity index (PDSI) for drought monitoring. The study area comprises the region of Thessaly, which is the most cotton productive area in Greece. Eighteen years of NOAA/AVHRR data are examined and processed with the BMVCI to examine the unfavorable conditions for cotton production. For the validation of BMVCI an empirical relationship between the cotton production of Thessaly and the BMVCI values is derived for the period 1982-1997. The methodology is validated for the two following years (1998 and 1999). The estimated cotton production approximates 5% and 2%, respectively, the real values for the validated years. The results confirm the usefulness of this integrated methodological approach as an effective tool to assess cotton production in Thessaly.