Administrative Report Or Publication

 

Estimating Shrub Forage Yield and Utilization Using a Photographic Technique Public Deposited

Downloadable Content

Download PDF
https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/administrative_report_or_publications/bz60cx89s

Descriptions

Attribute NameValues
Creator
Abstract
  • We assessed a photographic technique to estimate shrub yield and utilization of common snowberry, snowbrush, and heart-leafed willow found in mixed-conifer rangelands. We determined the correlation between green leaf area size (LA) and forage yield (Y) and compared plant utilization estimated by photographic technique (ULA) to actual utilization (UY) values. Shrub forage yield and utilization were determined by hand plucking in five to eight increments. Before the first plucking, and after each subsequent plucking, we took two photos that were perpendicular to each other at the intersection of the shrub. Each photo was evaluated using image-processing software to produce red (R), green (G), and blue (B) color band images. Green leaf area was determined as follows: pixel = ([G-R] + [G-B])/ (G+R+G+B); Green leaf area, cm2 = (Calibration [C], cm2∙pixel-1) × (LA, pixel). Green leaf area calculated from the photographic technique was strongly correlated (r2 = 0.83-0.94, P < 0.001) with forage yield for all three shrubs. A strong correlation (r2 = 0.95, n = 142) was detected between utilization values estimated through green leaf area size and actual values. Utilization estimated by LA did not differ (P = 0.60, n = 142) from actual utilization values. In summary, our results indicate the photographic technique could be used once calibration curves are developed, to measure available browse yield and utilization of shrubs in a nondestructive approach.
Resource Type
Date Available
Date Issued
Rights Statement
Funding Statement (additional comments about funding)
  • Eastern Oregon Argicultural Research Center, Union, Oregon
Publisher
Language
File Format
File Extent
  • 115832 bytes
Replaces

Relationships

Parents:

This work has no parents.

Items