Caracterización del estado de salud de las plantaciones forestales de Pinus radiata D. Don utilizando imágenes satelitales y fotogrametría en la parroquia Palmira, Guamote, Chimborazo

Abstract

This research aimed to identify the pest and disease symptoms in the Pinus radiata D. Don plantation in the community of Galte Jatunn Loma. Using remote sensing data, which included multispectral images captured with the Mavic 3 multispectral UAV and the Sentinel-2 satellite, we sought to calculate spectral indices such as the normalized vegetation index and leaf area index to evaluate plant health. The methodology involved systematically capturing aerial and satellite images, their digital processing using specialized software such as Pix4dmapper ArcGIS Pro, and comparing results between orthophotos and satellite images. During data analysis, symptoms of pests and diseases were observed in certain areas. Notably, the NDVI values in the orthophoto were in the range of 0.6 to 0.7, while in the satellite image, they were in the range of 0.2 to 0.3. Furthermore, the Leaf Area Index (LAI) values in the orthophoto range of 1.60 to 2.20 coincided precisely with the observations made in situ. In the satellite image, the IAF values were found in the range of 2.10 to 2.80. These findings indicate a condition of moderate vigor in the areas evaluated. The study's conclusions highlighted the usefulness of remote sensing in forest management, highlighting the importance of considering temporal and spatial variability and validating findings with field data. This research work provided a technical and practical vision of the monitoring of the plant health status of the Pinus radiata D. Don plantation through the use of orthophotos and satellite images, emphasizing the crucial role of remote sensing as a vital tool in the evaluation and the early characterization of the plant health status of the study area.