Rising Plate Meter Calibrations for Forage Mass of Wheat and Rye

• Main Authors: Whoi Cho, B. Wade Brorsen, Jon T. Biermacher, James K. Rogers
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2019-01-01
• Series: Agricultural & Environmental Letters
• Online Access: https://dl.sciencesocieties.org/publications/ael/articles/4/1/180057

Estimating forage availability is important in optimizing livestock stocking rates. The rising plate meter was developed to estimate forage availability. It needs a calibration equation to convert its measurement to a prediction of forage mass, and predictions can vary across crops, seasons, and locations. Our research objective was to derive new calibration equations for wheat ( L.) and rye ( L.). Most past literature used a linear model, but recent literature has suggested that using a quadratic model without an intercept could improve predictions. A non-nested test was used to test among these two non-nested models for wheat and rye calibration equations. The results favored the more encompassing model of a quadratic with an intercept; however, with wheat the quadratic with no intercept was not rejected. A pooling test indicated different equations were needed for species, seasonality (winter and non-winter), and tillage type (tilled or no-till).