The study investigated the spatiotemporal variations of agricultural sugarcane areas in La Granja, La Carlota, Negros Occidental, from 2020 to 2024. Data on agricultural areas were delineated from Sentinel-2 satellite imagery and were cloud-masked. NDVI was computed and analyzed across sugarcane’s five (5) phenological stages: germination, tillering, stalk elongation, growth, and maturation, following the Philippine cropping calendar. Variations in NDVI have been observed across years during different phenological stages, with values ranging from -0.06 to 0.91 during the germination stage, -0.08 to 0.92 during the tillering stage, -0.08 to 0.97 during the stalk elongation stage, -0.1 to 0.99 during the grand growth stage, and -0.06 to 0.91 during the maturation stage. NDVI values were consistently high during stalk elongation and grain growth, while low values were evident during the germination and tillering periods.

Differences in values are evident across agricultural areas at each phenological stage. Area A generally exhibited higher NDVI during germination and grand growth. Area D showed higher NDVI during tillering and elongation, reflecting optimal canopy development, while Area B displayed persistently lower NDVI throughout all stages, suggesting delayed or stressed growth. Area C often shifted earlier to lower NDVI values during the maturation stage, suggesting early senescence or harvest.

Cloud cover affected the amount of data available for each timeframe. In addition, some variabilities in the time series of NDVI calculation across different phenological stages may be attributed to varied planting dates among farmers, because sugarcane establishment does not occur uniformly across agricultural areas; some farms may already be advancing to the next stage, while others remain in earlier stages, resulting in overlapping NDVI signatures. This underscores the importance of integrating cropping calendar variations into remote sensing assessments to better align spectral observations with ground conditions.