Current status and perspective of remote sensing application in crop management

Knowledge of the spatial distribution of agricultural crops and crop rotation is necessary for the understanding of the farming practices concerning the long-term sustainability of agricultural production. Agricultural crops are increasingly subject to drought due to the effects of global climate change, and the same is true for Croatia due to the constant rise in mean annual temperatures and uneven rainfall distribution. Remote sensing methods have proven to be superior in the detection and monitoring of drought compared to conventional methods of observation from meteorological stations. Information on the condition of crops in the early stages of development indicates potential irregularities in the development of agricultural crops. The objective of this paper is to provide a perspective for the application of remote sensing in crop management using state-of-the-art methods. Analysis of the possible implementation of these methods in Croatia was performed on a macro- and micro-level. Spatial classification, cropland suitability multicriteria analysis, drought assessment, weed detection and crop density calculation were evaluated according to the necessary equipment and data processing segments. Remote sensing application in crop management offers a potential basis for better crop management both at the macro-level for land use planning and at the micro-level for family farms.