Development of a Robust Sensor Calibration for a Commercially Available Rising Platemeter to Estimate Herbage Mass on Temperate Seminatural Pastures
Jessica Werner,
Khaterine Salazar-Cubillas,
Sari Perdana-Decker,
Kilian Obermeyer,
Elizabeth Velasco,
Leonie Hart,
Uta Dickhoefer
Affiliations
Jessica Werner
Animal Nutrition and Rangeland Management in the Tropics and Subtropics, Institute of Agricultural Sciences in the Tropics, University of Hohenheim, Fruwirthstr. 31, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany
Khaterine Salazar-Cubillas
Institute of Animal Nutrition and Physiology, Kiel University, Hermann-Rodewald-Str. 9, 24118 Kiel, Germany
Sari Perdana-Decker
Animal Nutrition and Rangeland Management in the Tropics and Subtropics, Institute of Agricultural Sciences in the Tropics, University of Hohenheim, Fruwirthstr. 31, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany
Kilian Obermeyer
Agricultural Centre for Cattle Production, Grassland Management, Dairy Food, Wildlife and Fisheries Baden-Wuerttemberg (LAZBW), Atzenberger Weg 99, 88326 Aulendorf, Germany
Elizabeth Velasco
Animal Nutrition and Rangeland Management in the Tropics and Subtropics, Institute of Agricultural Sciences in the Tropics, University of Hohenheim, Fruwirthstr. 31, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany
Leonie Hart
Animal Nutrition and Rangeland Management in the Tropics and Subtropics, Institute of Agricultural Sciences in the Tropics, University of Hohenheim, Fruwirthstr. 31, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany
Uta Dickhoefer
Animal Nutrition and Rangeland Management in the Tropics and Subtropics, Institute of Agricultural Sciences in the Tropics, University of Hohenheim, Fruwirthstr. 31, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany
Rising platemeters are commonly used in Ireland and New Zealand for managing intensive pastures. To assess the applicability of a commercial rising platemeter operating with a microsonic sensor to estimate herbage mass with its own equation, the objectives were (i) to validate the original equation; (ii) to identify possible factors hampering its accuracy and precision; and (iii) to develop a new equation for heterogeneous swards. A comprehensive dataset (n = 1511) was compiled on the pastures of dairy farms. Compressed sward heights were measured by the rising platemeter. Herbage mass was harvested to determine reference herbage availability. The adequacy of estimating herbage mass was assessed using root mean squared error (RMSE) and mean bias. As the adequacy of the original equation was low, a new equation was developed using multiple regression models. The mean bias and the RMSE for the new equation were overall low with 201 kg dry matter/ha and 34.6%, but it tended to overestimate herbage availability at herbage mass 2500 kg dry matter/ha. Still, the newly developed equation for the microsonic sensor-based rising platemeter allows for accurate and precise estimation of available herbage mass on pastures.
