Cropping patterns of annual crops: A remote sensing review

Cropping patterns are defined as the sequence and spatial arrangement of annual crops on a piece of land. Knowledge of cropping patterns is crucial for crop production and land-use intensity. While cropping patterns are related to crop production and land use intensity, they are rarely reported in agricultural statistics, especially those relating to small farms in developing countries. Remote sensing has enabled mapping cropping patterns by monitoring crops’ spatial and temporal dynamics. In this paper, we reviewed remote sensing studies of single, sequential and intercropping patterns of annual crops practiced at local and regional scales. A total of 90 studies were selected from 753 publications based on their cropping pattern types and relevance to the scope of this review. The review found that despite the increase in single cropping pattern studies due to the Sentinel missions, studies on intercropping patterns are rare, suggesting that mapping intercropping is still challenging. More so, microwave remote sensing for mapping intercropping has not been fully explored. Given the complexities in mapping intercropping, our review highlights how less frequently used vegetation indices (VIs) that benefit from red-edge and SWIR spectral bands may improve intercropping mapping.