UAV-based pasture characterization for precision grazing management: preliminary results in in Calabria (Southern Italy)

The characterization of pastures represents an innovative approach to optimizing the use of forage resources and promoting the sustainability of livestock farming. The use of remote sensing (RS) technologies, such as uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs), enables more precise characterization of pastures allowing for the rapid collection of high-resolution data at relatively low costs. The main objective of this research is to evaluate the applicability of UAVs in precision pasture management, with particular attention to the characterization of Calabrian pastures. The study site is located at the pilot farm “Fattoria Biò” in Celico (province of Cosenza, Calabria region, southern Italy) at 1177 m a.s.l. inside the territory of the Sila National Park. A grass biomass sampling was carried out on the total epigeal biomass in correspondence of 13 different sampling points randomly chosen within the field. A multispectral UAV flight was performed immediately before the field survey with the aim of vegetation indices (VIs) processing. The relationship between VIs values, chemical values, and floristic composition was calculated by means of the Pearson’s correlation coefficient and root mean square error (RMSE). The correlation was investigated considering the mean, minimum, and maximum value of each processed VI. The analyses highlight a good condition of the pasture and correlation shown good performance for specific VIs.