Abstract
The evolution of dryland pasture quality is closely related to the seasonal and inter-annual variability characteristic of the Mediterranean climate. This variability introduces great unpredictability in the dynamic management of animal grazing. The aim of this study is to evaluate the potential of two complementary tools (satellite images, Sentinel-2 and proximal optical sensor, OptRx) for the calculation of the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), to monitor in a timely manner indicators of pasture quality (moisture content, crude protein, and neutral detergent fiber). In two consecutive years (2018/2019 and 2019/2020) these tools were evaluated in six fields representative of dryland pastures in the Alentejo region, in Portugal. The results show a significant correlation between pasture quality degradation index (PQDI) and NDVI measured by remote sensing (R2 = 0.82) and measured by proximal optical sensor (R2 = 0.83). These technological tools can potentially make an important contribution to decision making and to the management of livestock production. The complementarity of these two approaches makes it possible to overcome the limitations of satellite images that result (i) from the interference of clouds (which occurs frequently throughout the pasture vegetative cycle) and (ii) from the interference of tree canopy, an important layer of the Montado ecosystem. This work opens perspectives to explore new solutions in the field of Precision Agriculture technologies based on spectral reflectance to respond to the challenges of economic and environmental sustainability of extensive livestock production systems.
Highlights
Introduction published maps and institutional affilAbout one-third of the earth’s terrestrial surface and 70% of the global agricultural area is covered by grassland ecosystems [1], making them one of the most common land use types worldwide [2,3]
The aim of the present study is to evaluate the potential of two complementary tools The aim of the present study is to evaluate the potential of two complementary tools to monitor in a timely to monitor in a timely manner indicators of pasture quality
Between September of a year and June of the following year, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and, pasture vegetative vigor tend to increase during early autumnal phase as the pasture emerges and increases in density, stabilizes in an intermediate winter phase, reaches a peak in the spring when the plants are flowering, and decreases as the plants reach the end of their annual cycle
Summary
Introduction published maps and institutional affilAbout one-third of the earth’s terrestrial surface and 70% of the global agricultural area is covered by grassland ecosystems [1], making them one of the most common land use types worldwide [2,3]. Apart from providing forage for livestock production [2,4], grasslands fulfil several functions and ecosystem services related to soil quality (carbon sequestration and controlling erosion and wildfires), hydrological balance, and climate change [4,5], which make them essential [1]. In addition to preserving biodiversity and supporting ecological processes (such as carbon storage, water purification, or erosion control) grasslands are vital for global food security [2], since they provide an important setting for agricultural activities such as livestock production [3]. In Southern Portugal Montado agroforestry landscapes predominate. These are of high biodiversity value and include different strata of vegetation, where sparsely distributed trees coexist with dryland pastures and different animal species in various grazing iations
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