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A new study published in Acta Oecologica by researchers from the Poznań University of Life Sciences and the Remote Sensing Centre of the Institute of Geodesy and Cartography focuses on the transmittance of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) through grassland canopies. Conducted between 2020 and 2023 across 22 mesic grasslands in Poland, the research addresses a key factor influencing ecosystem productivity and biodiversity, whose direct measurement is both time-consuming and challenging.

The study demonstrates a strong relationship between light transmittance and canopy height, aboveground biomass, and the Leaf Area Index (LAI) derived from Sentinel-2 data. As these parameters increase, the amount of light reaching lower vegetation layers decreases, rapidly at low values and more gradually beyond certain thresholds. This relationship can be effectively modeled using broken line regression, with its shape influenced by the proportion of forbs. The authors also show that commonly used vegetation indices such as NDVI, EVI, SIPI are not suitable for estimating this phenomenon, while the complexity of the models may limit their direct practical application.

Research article is available at the https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actao.2025.104102

A new publication highlights the importance of satellite-based Earth observation in vegetation monitoring, a field that has been developing since the 1970s with the introduction of the NDVI index. Despite significant technological advancements, validation using in situ measurements remains essential, particularly in ecosystems such as grasslands and wetlands, which play a key role in CO₂ balance and water quality.

As part of the GrasSAT project, field measurements were conducted in Poland and Norway, including Leaf Area Index LAI, soil moisture, and biomass. This article focuses on the results obtained in Poland, emphasizing the importance of local environmental conditions when comparing satellite and ground-based data. Various sampling approaches, such as linear transects and quadrat methods, were applied to improve the consistency between datasets, contributing to the development of more accurate vegetation models.

Publication is available at the https://doi.org/10.2478/mgrsd-2025-0016

This research paper addresses the use of application maps in precision farming, with a particular focus on grassland management, which accounts for over 21% of utilised agricultural area (UAA) in Poland. Advances in smart farming technologies (Precision Agriculture, Agriculture 4.0), especially in sensor systems and data processing, enable the acquisition of high-resolution spatial and temporal data describing biological production processes. Such information supports the optimisation of agricultural practices and helps reduce trade-offs between productivity and environmental sustainability.

The paper presents a system developed within the GRASSAT project, based on data from the Copernicus Programme, including Sentinel-1, Sentinel-2, and ERA5-Land reanalysis. The application, available on both desktop and mobile platforms, provides farmers with information derived from remote sensing indices such as NDVI, LAI, and estimated fresh biomass, allowing them to assess vegetation condition. It also includes information on meteorological risks, such as frost events, supporting informed decision-making in grassland management.

Research article is available at the https://doi.org/10.14746/quageo-2025-0008

A new article by the Remote Sensing Centre, IGiK has been published in the Scientific Reports, issued by the international publisher Springer Nature. The paper, entitled Mapping management intensity types in grasslands through the synergistic use of Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 satellite images, presents the results of research on the application of a machine learning algorithm for satellite-based identification of grasslands managed intensively and extensively for agricultural purposes. In this study, both radar images from Sentinel-1 satellites and optical images from Sentinel-2 satellites were used. To verify the obtained grassland classification results, field observation data collected in the Podlaskie Voivodeship by the Remote Sensing Centre, IGiK and in the Wielkopolskie Voivodeship by the Department of Grassland and Natural Landscape Sciences, Poznań University of Life Sciences.

It was found that the total area of extensively managed grasslands (seminatural) in the Wielkopolskie Voivodeship is just under 1385 km², while intensively managed grasslands (mown multiple times a year) cover over 4067 km². In relation to the total area of the grasslands in the voivodeship, they represent 25.4% and 74.6%, respectively. In the Podlaskie Voivodeship, it was found that the area of extensively managed grasslands is 4914 km², while intensively managed grasslands cover over 3459 km². These areas represent 58.1% and 40.9% of the total area of the grasslands in Podlaskie. The results of satellite detection of intensively and extensively managed grasslands are consistent with observations indicating significant spatial diversity in their use across Poland. Our calculations revealed that the proportion of permanent grasslands in the agricultural land structure in the Podlaskie Voivodeship was significantly higher than in the Wielkopolskie Voivodeship, amounting to 41.9% and 18.2%, respectively.

This research was funded by the National Centre for Research and Development (NCBiR) as part of the Polish-Norwegian Research Cooperation Program, project GrasSAT – Tools for information to farmers on grasslands yields under stressed conditions to support management practices. No. of agreement NOR/POLNOR/GrasSAT/0031/2019-00

Bartold, M., Kluczek, M., Wróblewski, K. et al. Mapping management intensity types in grasslands with synergistic use of Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 satellite images. Sci Rep 14, 32066 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-83699-4 IF 3.8, 140 pts. MNiSW

On April 27, 2024, a meeting with farmers was held in Snowidowo (Greater Poland Voivodeship) as part of the GrasSAT project, implemented by the University of Life Sciences in Poznań, which is the Polish partner of the project. The meeting took place on the farm of one of the participants, where the final version of the mobile application for farmers was presented.

The meeting aimed to discuss the practical applications of the application and collect farmers’ opinions on its functionality. During the discussion, possibilities to support crop management on grasslands under stressful conditions were also presented.

The GrasSAT project is co-financed by the Norwegian Funds and implemented in cooperation with Norwegian institutions, NIBIO and NORCE.

On January 24, in the ballroom of the University of Warsaw Museum, a conference was held dedicated to the results of research conducted within the Grassat project, which is funded by the Norwegian Funds and implemented in collaboration with two institutions from Norway, NIBIO and NORCE.

The project focuses on developing mobile tools for farmers, enabling the transfer of information about yields from greenlands under extreme conditions to support management practices. The aim of the project is to create an application that will facilitate better yield management for farmers.

During the conference, results of the research conducted in two areas in Poland, Podlasie and Wielkopolska, as well as in Norway, were presented. There was also an opportunity to meet with scientists from Poland and Norway.

Seminar meeting about the possibilities of using satellite data in agriculture

On January 11, 2024, a seminar was held on the possibilities of using satellite data in agriculture at the headquarters of the Agricultural Advisory Center in Brwinów. During the meeting, the main assumptions of the project and the benefits of the website, which is its direct product, were presented to a wide audience of over 270 people. The meeting was attended by the director of the facility, representatives of all regional agricultural advisory centers in the country and individual farmers as potential users of our website.

The Remote Sensing Center at the Institute of Geodesy and Cartography, along with project partners: the University of Life Sciences in Poznań, Geomatic company, NIBIO Institute, and Norce Institute, cordially invites you to participate in the international conference titled:

“Tools for information to farmers on grasslands yields under stressed conditions to support management practices”
“Narzędzia do przekazywania rolnikom informacji na temat plonów z użytków zielonych w warunkach skrajnych w celu wsparcia praktyk zarządzania”

The conference will take place on January 24, 2024, in Warsaw, at the building of the University of Warsaw Museum, in the Tyszkiewicz-Potocki Palace, located at Krakowskie Przedmieście 3.

The Grassat project – “Tools for information to farmers on grasslands yields under stressed conditions to support management practices” is funded by the National Centre for Research and Development, as part of the Norwegian Funds.

Those wishing to attend in person are kindly requested to confirm their participation by email at marzena.kasperek@igik.edu.pl.

On June 5-10, 2023, Marcin Kluczek, a specialist at the Remote Sensing Center, is staying at the Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomics in Tromsø (NIBIO), located beyond the Arctic Circle in distant Norway.

This visit is an opportunity to exchange information on the work carried out by the Remote Sensing Center team and NIBIO as part of the joint research and implementation project Grassat – Tools for information to farmers on grasslands yields under stressed conditions to support management practices and to learn about the teaching program and remote sensing research carried out at a Norwegian institute. During the visit, Marcin Kluczek will present at a seminar research conducted at the Remote Sensing Center in the field of using Copernicus satellite data to monitor the condition of vegetation in Poland. The visit is carried out as part of the Grassat project, from the Norwegian Financial Mechanism 2014-2021 / POLNOR 2019

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During the Living Planet Symposium conference held in Bonn on May 23-27, scientists from the Remote Sensing Center, Institute of Geodesy and Cartography, presented the results of work in the GrasSAT project – Tools for information to farmers on grasslands yields under stressed conditions to support management practices .

The results were presented during the session: A3.04 Agriculture – Methods and Algorithms, Science, Applications and Policy, on the first day of the Conference.

The project is financed by the National Center for Research and Development, under the “Applied Research” program under the Norwegian Financial Mechanism 2014-2021 / POLNOR 2019.

The main goal of the project is to develop a comprehensive system for managing grassland production, mainly for medium and large farms in Poland and Norway. As part of the project, a fully functioning platform will be developed in the form of a desktop and mobile application.