Use of infrared thermography from a crewed aerial vehicle for remote sensing of tropical pasture areas with different levels of afforestation

Autor(es)

Garcia, Alexandre Rossetto ; Bernardi, Alberto Carlos de Campos ; Pezzopane, Jose Ricardo Macedo ; Redaelli, Veronica ; Luzi, Fabio ; Laurenti, Nicolle ; Menegazzo, Lucas Perassoli ; Grudzinski, Christine Elisabeth ; dos Santos Junior, Paulo Cerqueira ; Barbosa, Antonio Vinicius Correa

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: COMPUTERS AND ELECTRONICS IN AGRICULTURE; v. 213, p. 11-pg., 2023-10-01.

Resumo

Better livestock practices are needed to enable more efficient and sustainable food production. Integrated crop livestock-forest (iCLF) production systems stand out among these. However, iCLF systems have not yet been monitored remotely using infrared thermography (IRT). Crewed overflights were conducted every 21 days for 14 months in Sao Carlos, Brazil (21(?)58'30?S, 47(?)51'07?W, 854 m AMSL) to (i) evaluate the efficiency of remote thermographic sensing of pastures for beef cattle and (ii) study the surface temperatures of pastures in monoculture/full sun (FS system) or iCLF (iCLF system). There was a significant correlation between air temperatures recorded at 1.5 m from the ground by automated meteorological stations and temperatures recorded using IRT, with the highest correlation coefficients observed in FS at 12:00 PM (r = 0.89; P = 0.0013) and in iCLF between 10:00 AM and 11:00 AM (r = 0.77; P = 0.0142). The surface and air temperatures did not differ significantly in FS (2:00 PM-4:00 PM) and iCLF (8:00 AM-6:00 PM; P > 0.05). In all seasons, IRT revealed higher thermal classes more frequently in FS. Heat maps showed notable differences between the production systems, including two heterogeneous thermal zones. Circumscribed areas of varying sizes with higher surface temperatures (>35.0 C-?) were also observed in spots (FS) or parallel bands in the east-west direction (iCLF). These areas had no trees and/ or less vegetation cover. Infrared thermography remote sensing in crewed overflights ran concurrently with temperature readings from on-site meteorological stations. This enabled the precise identification of thermographic differences between pastures in monoculture and integrated systems, with the definition of heat islands and comfort zones. This study provides insights into the novel application of IRT for microclimatic assessments of livestock pastures, which can aid in decision-making to improve the welfare of free-range animals. (AU)

• Processo FAPESP: 19/04528-6 - Do céu às células: uma abordagem multidimensional do conforto térmico animal em sistemas de integração lavoura-pecuária-floresta(ILPF)
• Beneficiário: Alexandre Rossetto Garcia
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Regular
• Processo FAPESP: 16/02959-1 - Desbaste de eucalipto em sistemas de iLPF: efeito no microclima e produtividade
• Beneficiário: José Ricardo Macedo Pezzopane
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Regular