Remote Sensing Applied to Pasture Monitoring: A Review

Abstract

Objective: The goal of this study was to review the results obtained by various authors for large-scale pasture monitoring via remote sensing; to monitor the development and degradation conditions of pastures according to case studies; and to analyze data, images, and Geographic Information System (GIS) procedures in relevant works.   Theoretical Framework: In this topic, the principles that guided the literature review are presented, including a discussion of the search for remote sensing results related to pastures in large geographical areas, and case studies in works that denote the technological potential from field sampling and results worldwide are also presented.   Method: Research methods associated with different themes, keywords, and regions were adopted to identify results from research in the area of remote sensing applied to surveying the conditions of pastures in the different typologies in the studied regions.   Results and Discussion: The literature review in this study highlights the advances and methodologies developed for the evaluation of pasture conditions and mapping, from which it was possible to observe the stage of degradation of this vegetation, which is essential for agricultural production.   Research Implications: The potential of using remote sensing materials and mechanisms for pasture assessment, mapping areas in stages of degradation and identifying vegetation vigor is highly valuable in large-scale pasture management. The presented literature indicates that pasture vegetation varies greatly according to geographic region, indicating great complexity in deriving its phenological conditions and showing that field campaigns are essential for the description and establishment of a relationship between the foliar canopy and sensor response.   Originality/Value: This literature review addresses large-scale remote sensing surveys of pastures, contributing to research on the conditions of this vegetation. The bibliography presented in this review can support studies on mapping the pasture degradation process through remote sensing images and data.