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THE USE OF GRAZING‐ANIMAL OBSERVATIONS IN THE EARLY STAGES OF PASTURE EVALUATION IN THE TROPICS
Author(s) -
Joblin A. D. H.
Publication year - 1962
Publication title -
grass and forage science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.716
H-Index - 56
eISSN - 1365-2494
pISSN - 0142-5242
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2494.1962.tb00310.x
Subject(s) - grazing , pasture , habit , context (archaeology) , palatability , tropics , agronomy , consumption (sociology) , yield (engineering) , biology , environmental science , ecology , psychology , paleontology , materials science , food science , metallurgy , psychotherapist , social science , sociology
The use of grazing‐time records for the estimation of grass species consumption was investigated in the context of two small‐plot grazing trials. It was found that sampling errors were significantly lower than those involved in the cutting techniques used and that a high level of repeatability of results could be obtained. The overall correlations between fresh‐weight yield estimates from sample cuts and grazing records for individual plots were found to be 0·57*** and 0·72*** in the two trials. The bias that was introduced into some of the estimates of species yield appeared to be corrected through the use of palatability data. It is concluded that the use of grazing‐time records for yield estimation amongst species of broadly similar growth habit may have a definite potential in tropical Africa, but that the method requires further testing before being widely adopted.