Optimal quadrat area and sample size to estimate the forage mass of stargrass

Authors

  • Pablo Giliard Zanella Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro
  • Carlos Augusto Brandão de Carvalho Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro
  • Everton Teixeira Ribeiro Universidade Federal de Viçosa
  • Afrânio Silva Madeiro Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro
  • Raphael dos Santos Gomes Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5433/1679-0359.2017v38n5p3165

Keywords:

Cumulative coefficient of variation, Cynodon nlemfuensis, Height, Morphological composition.

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the sample size and area of the quadrats necessary to accurately estimate the forage mass (FM) of a fenced pasture of stargrass (Cynodon nlemfuensis cv. Florico) during the winter. Five metal quadrats were used: a 0.09 m² square (0.30 m side), a 0.25 m2 square (0.50 m side), a 0.25 m2 circle (0.28 m diameter), a 0.5 m2 rectangle (0.5 x 1.0 m), and a 1 m2 square (1.0 m side), each with eight replicates. The size and shape of the quadrats were determined based on cumulative variances to identify combinations that minimized the coefficient of variation (CV). The minimum sample size required to estimate the FM, morphological components and height was established by the CV maximum curvature method. The 0.25 m2 square quadrat (0.5 m side) presented the lowest cumulative CV in estimating the FM and the dry mass of dead material. However, for the estimation of the leaf and stem dry mass, the 1.00 m2 square quadrat (1.00 m side) presented the lowest CV. Using the 0.25 m2 square quadrat, a minimum number of six samples were required for the FM estimation, and eight samples were required for estimating the mean height of the stargrass pasture. Therefore, at least eight samples are recommended to obtain accurate results for the estimation of both variables.

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Author Biographies

Pablo Giliard Zanella, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro

Discente, Curso de Mestrado, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Zootecnia, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, UFRRJ, Seropédica, RJ, Brasil. Bolsista da CAPES.

Carlos Augusto Brandão de Carvalho, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro

Prof., Departamento de Nutrição Animal e Pastagens, UFRRJ, Seropédica, RJ, Brasil.

Everton Teixeira Ribeiro, Universidade Federal de Viçosa

Discente de Doutorado, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Zootecnia, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, UFV, Viçosa, MG, Brasil. Bolsista da CAPES.

Afrânio Silva Madeiro, Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro

Discente, Curso de Doutorado, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Zootecnia, UFRRJ, Seropédica, RJ, Brasil. Bolsista da CAPES.

Raphael dos Santos Gomes, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense

Discente, Curso de Doutorado, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciência Animal, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, UENF, Campos dos Goytacazes, RJ, Brasil. Bolsista da CAPES.

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Published

2017-10-03

How to Cite

Zanella, P. G., Carvalho, C. A. B. de, Ribeiro, E. T., Madeiro, A. S., & Gomes, R. dos S. (2017). Optimal quadrat area and sample size to estimate the forage mass of stargrass. Semina: Ciências Agrárias, 38(5), 3165–3172. https://doi.org/10.5433/1679-0359.2017v38n5p3165

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