Spectral study of different varieties of agave for the creation of a spectral library for mapping and monitoring by remote sensing

Abstract

The agave is a representative plant of natural and anthropic landscapes of many arid and semi-arid regions of Mexico and produces a large number of products, including mezcal. Both wild and cultivated magueyes are used for its production, so its demand in national and international markets has led to changes in land use for its cultivation and the genetic erosion of its populations. As there is no information on their location and abundance, it is not possible to develop management plans that ensure their permanence. Therefore, in this work a spectral library for A. angustifolia (sprat), A. americana var. Oaxacensis (arroqueño) and A. potatorum (tobalá) and other covers associated with the crop, as well as the identification, by means of the non-parametric test for independent Kruskal-Wallis and Dunn samples, of the Sentinel 2A image bands where the reflectance of the hyperspectral signatures (350-2500 nm) of these elements is significantly different so that they can be used to determine their spatial distribution with these images, which were taken in three locations in Oaxaca, by a portable spectroradiometer. The results suggest that by using bands 2, 3, 6 and 8 it is likely that both agaves and their associated covers can be classified.