Forage Biomass Estimated with a Pre-Calibrated Equation of a Rising Platemeter in Pastures Grown in Tropical Conditions
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Locations and Pasture Management in the Farms
2.2. Data Collection
- (1)
- Platemeter
- (2)
- Botanal®
- (3)
- Hand-clipping (clippings)
2.3. Data Analysis
3. Results
3.1. Pasture Management
3.2. Forage Biomass
3.3. Comparison of Methods to Estimate Forage Biomass
4. Discussion
4.1. Pasture Management
4.2. Forage Biomass
4.3. Comparison of Methods to Estimate Biomass Yield
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Indicator | Ryegrass | Kikuyu | Stargrass |
---|---|---|---|
Paddock size (m2) | 3044 (1933–3846) | 1677 (875–3908) | 4192 (2314–6928) |
Stocking density (m2 cow−1 d−1) | 68 (41–86) | 65 (27–113) | 124 (45–220) |
Regrowth (d) | 38 | 30 | 30 |
Phenological stage (green leaves shoot−1) | 2.43 | 3.99 | 6.56 |
Nitrogen fertilization (kg N ha−1 yr−1) | 250 | 200 | 180 |
Slope in the pastures (%) | 15.6 ± 3.0 | 11.9 ± 3.7 | 3.3 ± 0.9 |
Variable | Ryegrass * | Kikuyu | Stargrass |
---|---|---|---|
Platemeter biomass (kg DM ha−1) | 4969 (3804–6534) | 4472 (3440–5260) | 6125 (5008–6870) |
Botanal biomass (kg DM ha−1) ** | 3124 (1546–5225) | 4042 (1927–6372) | 5190 (3150–9139) |
Clippings biomass (kg DM ha−1) | 3379 (1460–5376) | 4184 (1946–6605) | 5304 (3242–9077) |
Compressed sward height (cm) | 31.8 (23.6–43.1) | 28.8 (23.9–34.0) | 40.3 (32.2–45.5) |
Platemeter biomass by compressed height (kg DM cm−1) | 157 (149–168) | 155 (131–185) | 153 (151–155) |
Senescent material (%) | 2.57 (0–15.2) | 12.06 (0–44.03) | 15.39 (0–46.01) |
Variable | Ryegrass * | Kikuyu | Stargrass |
---|---|---|---|
RSD (platemeter–Botanal) * | 1845 (110–3420) | 447 (−2106–2577) | 935 (−2829–2768) |
% RSD (diff./Botanal) | 73 (2–221) | 19 (−33–134) | 23 (−31–88) |
RSD (platemeter–clippings) | 1590 (−179–3190) | 297 (−2339–2558) | 801 (−2767–2676) |
% RSD (diff./clippings) | 59 (−4–161) | 16 (−35–131) | 62 (22–139) |
RSD (Botanal–clippings) | 255 (−140–603) | 142 (−40–358) | 114 (−141–378) |
% RSD (diff./clippings) | 8 (−10–23) | 3 (−1–8) | 2 (−4–7) |
r2 (platemeter vs. Botanal) | 0.20 | 0.04 | 0.16 |
r2 (platemeter vs. clippings) | 0.19 | 0.03 | 0.17 |
r2 (Botanal vs. clippings) | 0.97 | 0.98 | 0.98 |
Variable | Ryegrass | Kikuyu | Stargrass |
---|---|---|---|
General regression equation (dry and rainy seasons) | y = −179 + 1652x | y = −340 + 2191x | y = 30 + 2580x |
Average for visual samples taken with Botanal (x) | 2.12 | 1.72 | 2.08 |
Estimated biomass with general equation (kg DM ha−1) | 3295 | 3406 | 5412 |
Average difference (Botanal–General regression) * | 414 (1–1282) | 761 (0–1983) | 764 (44–2928) |
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Villalobos-Villalobos, L.A.; WingChing-Jones, R. Forage Biomass Estimated with a Pre-Calibrated Equation of a Rising Platemeter in Pastures Grown in Tropical Conditions. Grasses 2023, 2, 127-141. https://doi.org/10.3390/grasses2020011
Villalobos-Villalobos LA, WingChing-Jones R. Forage Biomass Estimated with a Pre-Calibrated Equation of a Rising Platemeter in Pastures Grown in Tropical Conditions. Grasses. 2023; 2(2):127-141. https://doi.org/10.3390/grasses2020011
Chicago/Turabian StyleVillalobos-Villalobos, Luis Alonso, and Rodolfo WingChing-Jones. 2023. "Forage Biomass Estimated with a Pre-Calibrated Equation of a Rising Platemeter in Pastures Grown in Tropical Conditions" Grasses 2, no. 2: 127-141. https://doi.org/10.3390/grasses2020011
APA StyleVillalobos-Villalobos, L. A., & WingChing-Jones, R. (2023). Forage Biomass Estimated with a Pre-Calibrated Equation of a Rising Platemeter in Pastures Grown in Tropical Conditions. Grasses, 2(2), 127-141. https://doi.org/10.3390/grasses2020011