C-Band SAR-Based Backscatter Modeling for Monitoring Oil Palm Age
Rika Hernawati (a,b)*, Soni Darmawan (b), Josaphat Tetuko Sri Sumantyo (a,c)

a). Department of Environmental Remote Sensing, Chiba University, Japan
b). Department of Geodetic Engineering, Institut Teknologi Nasional Bandung, Indonesia
*rikah[at]itenas.ac.id
c). Department of Electrical Engineering, Universitas Sebelas Maret, Indonesia

Abstract

Oil palm age information is a crucial indicator for estimating plantation productivity. Understanding age distribution for all plantation can improve management practices, including harvest estimation, fresh fruit bunch yield prediction, taxation, replanting planning, fertilization scheduling, and early detection of diseases. This study proposes remote sensing-based approach to modeling oil palm age using Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), specifically C-band data with dual polarization. The objective is to examine the relationship between SAR backscatter characteristics and oil palm age. Sentinel-1A SAR imagery acquired on November 14, 2022, was used in related with plantation block data showing planting years from 2000 to 2022. The methodology used included preprocessing, radiometric calibration, speckle filtering, terrain correction, extraction of scattering values, and building a scattering model. The results show strong correlation between backscatter values and oil palm age, achieving a classification accuracy of 78% for VV polarization and 71% for VH polarization. Future research can utilize SAR data to capture age-related structural changes as well as field-based validation involving biophysical parameters and yield data will strengthen the reliability of remote sensing-based age estimates.

Keywords: Oil Palm Age, SAR, C-band, Backscatter

Topic: Topic B: Applications of Remote Sensing