Assessing Suitability of Sentinel-2 Bands for Monitoring of Nutrient Concentration of Pastures with a Range of Species Compositions

Agronomy

David J. Humphries¹  Christopher K. Reynolds¹  Anna Thomson¹  Anne Verhoef²  Suvarna M. Punalekar² 

[1] Centre for Dairy Research, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, The University of Reading, Reading RG6 6AR, UK;Department of Geography and Environmental Science, The University of Reading, Whiteknights, P.O. Box 227, Reading RG6 6AB, UK;

关键词: pasture quality;    pasture quantity;    remote sensing;    Sentinel-2;    spectral indices;    multi-species swards;   

DOI  :  10.3390/agronomy11081661

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

The accurate and timely assessment of pasture quantity and quality (i.e., nutritive characteristics) is vital for effective pasture management. Remotely sensed data can be used to predict pasture quantity and quality. This study investigated the ability of Sentinel-2 multispectral bands, convolved from proximal hyperspectral data, in predicting various pasture quality and quantity parameters. Field data (quantitative and spectral) were gathered for experimental plots representing four pasture types—perennial ryegrass monoculture and three mixtures of swards representing increasing species diversity. Spectral reflectance data at the canopy level were used to generate Sentinel-2 bands and calculate normalised difference indices with each possible band pair. The suitability of these indices for prediction of pasture parameters was assessed. Pasture quantity parameters (biomass and Leaf Area Index) had a stronger influence on overall reflectance than the quality parameters. Indices involving the 1610 nm band were optimal for acid detergent fibre, crude protein, organic matter and water-soluble carbohydrate concentration, while being less affected by biomass or LAI. The study emphasises the importance of accounting for the quantity parameters in the spectral data-based models for pasture quality predictions. These explorative findings inform the development of future pasture quantity and quality models, particularly focusing on diverse swards.

【 授权许可】

Unknown