1Space Applications Centre (ISRO), Ahmedabad, 380 015, (Gujarat).
2Central Potato Research Institute, Shimla, 170 001, (Himachal Pradesh).
3Central Potato Research Station, Model Town P.O., Jalandhar, 144 003, (Punjab).
4Central Potato Research Institute Campus, Modipuram, Meerut, 250 110, (Uttar Pradesh).
The study was conducted to propose and validate a methodology for potato acreage estimation in northern Indo-Gangetic plains of India using digital remote sensing data. Multi-date and multi-satellite moderate resolution (188 m) data of WiFS sensor onboard IRS IC, IRS ID and IRS P3 satellites were used as main data. The results showed that it was possible to use complete enumeration approach using moderate resolution WiFS data to estimate the potato acreage in Punjab and Haryana in north-west Indo-Gangetic plains. In the states of Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, which extend partly from western Indo-Gangetic plains to eastern Indo-Gangetic plains, almost 50% of the potato acreage is in 4 clusters. Complete enumeration of these clusters and its extrapolation to the whole state gave accurate results. The results also suggested that it might not be advisable to use moderate resolution WiFS data for Bihar where the potato fields were small, scattered, and also grown as intercrop.
