Relating goat milk production according to the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index and precipitations in the Chaco forest throughout the 2016-2018 period

Abstract

This work aimed to quantify and relate goat milk production and the Normalized Difference of Vegetation Index of the semiarid Chaco forest and the monthly average precipitation along the 2016-2018 period. The work was carried out in El Polear, in Santiago del Estero, Argentina. Even though the NDVI of the forest and its lower strata biomass productivity were affected by drought, its milk production curve remained unaffected. This may be due to the forest stability resulting from the deep rooted trees that includes, to the strategic displacement of the phenophase in its lower strata (broadleaves, herbaceous) in drought seasons and the adaptation to the changes in the goat diet selectivity before forage fluctuations. Winter NDVI peaks should be considered for new lines of research on their contribution to the energetic reserves of the goat component at the beginning of winter. Significant straight relationships (p<0.05) were found between the average goat milk production and the average monthly precipitation (r=0.64) as well as the NDVI and the semiarid Chaco forest (r=0.59). The resulting linear models involving goat milk production with both precipitation and NDVI had moderate and significant (p<0.05) explaining power (R2=0.41) and (R2=0.35), respectively. These models make the seasonal goat milk production predictable and the planning and the making decision process of both producers and the agroindustry easier.