Discrimination potential of sugarcane cultivars (Saccharum spp) through hyperspectral sensors in different production environments

Remote sensing using hyperspectral spectroradiometers can be applied for an early estimate of agricultural yield and for the characterization and differentiation of cultivars, with few studies on sugarcane. In this study, 16 sugarcane cultivars were analyzed in two competition trials in the sugarcane plant phase, set up in two types of soils with different productive potentials (high and low) in two locations, Itirapina City and Iracemápolis City, both in São Paulo State, in Brazil. A hyperspectral sensor installed on a terrestrial bar was used for evaluations in two phases of vegetative development in the field. From the canopy reflectance data, differences were found between the reflectance spectral curves for both locations and among cultivars. The dendrograms of the vegetation indices could also discriminate the cultivars in the phase of maximum vegetative development and allow different groupings according to the production environments and the yield of each studied cultivar. Hyperspectral data have the potential to aid in the characterization of new sugarcane clones as a result from genetic improvement programs, and they can support studies on the use of remote sensors for the same purpose.