Hop yield forecast using Sentinel-2 images

This study shows thast satellite-based derived information may support decision-making in hop crop management, especially for yield forecasting. The May-to-July period proved crucial for yield predictions, with two approaches supporting this finding. First, tracking changes in the Red Edge Inflection Point (REIP) slope from May to July revealed Pearson correlations of 0.84, 0.77, and 0.61 for the Tradition, Perle and Herkules hop varieties, respectively. A slightly stronger correlation emerged through a linear regression analysis of average REIP values against yields over the 92-day growing period from May 1 to the end of July. Comparing REIP on the 75th growth day in mid-July with yield achieved correlations of 0.86 for Tradition, 0.69 for Perle, and 0.76 for Herkules. Research continues, with plans to incorporate more farms and management data to further refine these predictions.