Dry season mapping of savanna forage quality, using the hyperspectral Carnegie Airborne Observatory sensor

Forage quality within an African savanna depends upon limiting nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) and nutrients that constrain the intake rates (non-digestible fibre) of herbivores. These forage quality nutrients are particularly crucial in the dry season when concentrations of limiting nutrients decline and non-digestible fibres increase. Using artificial neural networks we test the ability of a new imaging spectrometer (CAO Alpha sensor), both alone and in combination with ancillary data, to map quantities of grass forage nutrients in the early dry season within an African savanna. Respectively 65%, 57% and 41%, of the variance in fibre, phosphorus and nitrogen concentrations were explained. We found that all grass forage nutrients show response to fire and soil. Principal component analysis, not only reduced image dimensionality, but was a useful method for removing cross-track illumination effects in the CAO imagery. To further improve the mapping of forage nutrients in the dry season we suggest that spectra within the shortwave infrared (SWIR) region, or additional relevant ancillary data, are required.

Research highlights
► Plant N, P, and fibre mapped in dry season using ANN and CAO imagery.
► All nutrients show response to fire and soil variables.
► Combining ancillary and spectral data improves modelling performance.
► To improve dry season mapping, SWIR or additional ancillary variables are needed.