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SOME COMPARISONS OF INCLINED POINT QUADRAT AND AIRFLOW PLANIMETER METHODS FOR MEASURING LEAF‐AREA INDEX OF GRASS SWARDS
Author(s) -
Thomas W. D.,
Lazenb A.
Publication year - 1968
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.1365-2494.1968.tb00585.x
Subject(s) - quadrat , leaf area index , festuca arundinacea , airflow , canopy , mathematics , environmental science , agronomy , biology , botany , transect , ecology , mechanical engineering , poaceae , engineering
The leaf‐area indices (LAI) of simulated swards of three populations of Festuca arundinacea Schreb. were estimated by use of an inclined point quadrat and an air‐flow planimeter. Both for comparisons of leaf areas before defoliation, and for comparisons of leaf areas removed by defoliation, very highly significant relationships were found between estimates by the two methods. In five out of six cases the airflow‐planimeter estimates of leaf area became greater than those from the inclined point quadrat as sward leaf area increased. It is suggested that the major factor responsible for departure from complete agreement between the methods is a difference in leaf areas actually measured by the two methods; in addition, there was some indication of operator error with the inclined point quadrat. The results indicated that these factors were not greatly influenced by leaf canopy arrangement.