Índice NDVIe sua correlação com a produtividade do café

Abstract

Precision agriculture has become an important tool in modern farming, enabling increased productivity, cost reduction, and environmental sustainability. In this context, this study aimed to evaluate the relationship between the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and the productivity of Arabica coffee (Coffea arabica L.). The research was conducted in a cultivar coffee irrigated area of approximately 27 ha, located in the municipality of Indianópolis, Minas Gerais, Brazil, using a sampling grid composed of 50 georeferenced points. Productivity was determined through manual harvesting of selected plants at each point, followed by drying and processing. NDVI indices were obtained from Planet satellite images, covering the period from August 2023 to July 2024. The data were statistically analyzed using descriptive analysis and Pearson's linear correlation, as well as spatial interpolation by kriging to generate productivity maps. A moderate positive correlation was observed between NDVI obtained in December 2023 and final coffee productivity, whereas NDVI from March 2024 showed a negative correlation, reflecting physiological differences of the crop throughout its growth cycle. It is concluded that NDVI can be used as an auxiliary tool for estimating coffee productivity, provided that the timing of image acquisition is considered, with greater efficiency during periods of higher vegetative activity.