Track 1-13: Monitoring and Managing Grass and Forage Biomass Resources at the Landscape Level
Description
Accurate feed budgeting and management of forage in grazing systems requires frequent assessment of forage mass and growth of pastures (Gabriёls and Van den Berg 1993; Sanderson et al. 2001). The rising plate meter (RPM) developed by Earle and McGowan (1979) has been used widely by researchers and farmers to estimate pasture dry matter (DM) production. The advantages associated with using the RPM for the estimation of pasture DM yield include its low sensitivity to environmental conditions, stability of calibration equations across years and seasons (if pasture composition remains similar), and the fact that its robustness and ease of use makes it operator friendly, allowing a large number of readings to be taken in a short period of time (Earle and McGowan 1979; Michell 1982; Fulkerson and Slack 1993, Douglas and Crawford 1994, Martin et al. 2005). There is limited data available for the calibration of the RPM for kikuyu (Pennisetum clandestinum) pastures over-sown with ryegrass (Lolium spp.) and grazed by dairy cows in the Western Cape Province, South Africa. The aim of this study was to evaluate the calibration equations developed using the RPM for irrigated and grazed kikuyu pastures over-sown with ryegrass.
Citation
van der Colf, Janke; Botha, Philip R.; Meeske, Robin; and Truter, Wayne F., "Calibration of the Rising Plate Meter for Pasture Yield Determination in Kikuyu (Pennisetum clandestinum) Over-Sown with Ryegrass (Lolium spp.)" (2020). IGC Proceedings (1993-2023). 7.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/igc/22/1-13/7
Included in
Calibration of the Rising Plate Meter for Pasture Yield Determination in Kikuyu (Pennisetum clandestinum) Over-Sown with Ryegrass (Lolium spp.)
Accurate feed budgeting and management of forage in grazing systems requires frequent assessment of forage mass and growth of pastures (Gabriёls and Van den Berg 1993; Sanderson et al. 2001). The rising plate meter (RPM) developed by Earle and McGowan (1979) has been used widely by researchers and farmers to estimate pasture dry matter (DM) production. The advantages associated with using the RPM for the estimation of pasture DM yield include its low sensitivity to environmental conditions, stability of calibration equations across years and seasons (if pasture composition remains similar), and the fact that its robustness and ease of use makes it operator friendly, allowing a large number of readings to be taken in a short period of time (Earle and McGowan 1979; Michell 1982; Fulkerson and Slack 1993, Douglas and Crawford 1994, Martin et al. 2005). There is limited data available for the calibration of the RPM for kikuyu (Pennisetum clandestinum) pastures over-sown with ryegrass (Lolium spp.) and grazed by dairy cows in the Western Cape Province, South Africa. The aim of this study was to evaluate the calibration equations developed using the RPM for irrigated and grazed kikuyu pastures over-sown with ryegrass.
