New Method Maps Cotton Fields In Xinjiang Months Earlier Using Plastic-Mulching Signals
26 May 2026
Scientists from the Aerospace Information Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (AIRCAS), in collaboration with Shihezi University, have developed a novel method to identify cotton fields in Xinjiang during the plastic-mulching stage. The study, titled "Advancing the earliest identifiable timing of cotton fields by the unique mechanized plastic-mulching practices in Xinjiang," was published in Remote Sensing of Environment.
Xinjiang is China's leading cotton-producing region. Timely information on cotton distribution is crucial for cultivation management, irrigation scheduling, and agricultural insurance. However, existing methods largely depend on phenological cues that only become detectable after canopy development, limiting their usefulness for early decision-making.
To address this challenge, the researchers shifted focus from conventional crop-growth patterns to signals from cultivation practices. In Xinjiang, cotton is widely grown using mechanized plastic mulching and under-film drip irrigation. The team found that during the sowing–seedling stage, cotton fields typically exhibit a higher fraction of plastic-mulched area within 10‑m pixels than other crops, providing a distinctive early cue for identification.
Using Sentinel-2 imagery (spatial resolution: 10 m), the researchers produced early-season cotton maps across Xinjiang. Their method identified cotton fields approximately 4–4.5 months before harvest, achieving an overall accuracy of 84.70% and an F1‑score for cotton of 88.16%. Compared with in-season phenology-based approaches, this method substantially improves mapping timeliness.
The study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps Science and Technology Program Project, and the Youth Innovation Promotion Association of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Early-season maps of cotton in Xinjiang: (a) early-season mapping; (b) in-season mapping; (c) spatial details of cotton maps for six selected regions. (Image by AIRCAS)
Research News
New Method Maps Cotton Fields In Xinjiang Months Earlier Using Plastic-Mulching Signals
Scientists from the Aerospace Information Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (AIRCAS), in collaboration with Shihezi University, have developed a novel method to identify cotton fields in Xinjiang during the plastic-mulching stage. The study, titled "Advancing the earliest identifiable timing of cotton fields by the unique mechanized plastic-mulching practices in Xinjiang," was published in Remote Sensing of Environment.
Xinjiang is China's leading cotton-producing region. Timely information on cotton distribution is crucial for cultivation management, irrigation scheduling, and agricultural insurance. However, existing methods largely depend on phenological cues that only become detectable after canopy development, limiting their usefulness for early decision-making.
To address this challenge, the researchers shifted focus from conventional crop-growth patterns to signals from cultivation practices. In Xinjiang, cotton is widely grown using mechanized plastic mulching and under-film drip irrigation. The team found that during the sowing–seedling stage, cotton fields typically exhibit a higher fraction of plastic-mulched area within 10‑m pixels than other crops, providing a distinctive early cue for identification.
Using Sentinel-2 imagery (spatial resolution: 10 m), the researchers produced early-season cotton maps across Xinjiang. Their method identified cotton fields approximately 4–4.5 months before harvest, achieving an overall accuracy of 84.70% and an F1‑score for cotton of 88.16%. Compared with in-season phenology-based approaches, this method substantially improves mapping timeliness.
The study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps Science and Technology Program Project, and the Youth Innovation Promotion Association of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Early-season maps of cotton in Xinjiang: (a) early-season mapping; (b) in-season mapping; (c) spatial details of cotton maps for six selected regions. (Image by AIRCAS)