Application of remote monitoring and ground-based sensing in pastoralism

Abstract

The development and implementation of an innovative system applying digital aerospace technologies in pastoralism constitute one of the current trends in agricultural development designed to solve numerous problems associated with soil fertility restoration in grazing pastures. Here, a promising line of research is to explore the feasibility of using satellite systems for an overall nutrient yield assessment per hectare of grazing land. The present article describes a comprehensive approach to the optimization of pastoralism that is based on remote methods for assessing pasture fertility using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and artificial Earth satellites. An analysis of existing methodological approaches reveals that the formalization of prediction processes is complicated by the lack of a theoretical basis for creating appropriate model-algorithmic support. The data on vegetation index dynamics and the nutritional values of forage plants obtained by interpreting imagery from a UAV camera and the multispectral cameras of a satellite service, as well as data from a portable handheld nitrogen sensor, were compared with the actual nutritional values of pasture plants. The study results provide a means to optimize the grouping of grazing animals, taking into account the actual possibility of achieving an increase in live weight. The provided findings indicate the possibility of achieving an additional 11.06% increase in daily live weight gain in young sheep (Jalgin Merino) when keeping them in pasture areas having a vegetation index of at least 0.5. Remote monitoring based on satellite service allows more efficient use of pastures. Study shows a positive relationship between remote sensing NDVI and feed nutritional value. Animal grazing optimization provides an additional 11.06% increase in live weight gain.