Comparison of botanal to other methods of pasture evaluation in natural grasslands

Abstract

The present study was conducted at three areas of natural grasslands of Viçosa, MG, Brazil, in two landscapes (concave and convex) and in two times of sampling (April/May and October/November, 1985). The objectives were to test the BOTANAL package in these pastures, to compare their estimates with other methods of evaluation and to explain differences between ecological sites. Ten pasture components were evaluated. A great similarity between the methods of evaluation in relation to the studied parameters was ascertained. Paspalum spp., sedges and legumes were the key species on the concave landscape and molasses grass on the convex one. Thus, the two landscapes constitute individual ecological sites. The BOTANAL package showed a tendency of overestimating the evaluate components, what indicates the need of its adaptation. With these results it is suggested that BOTANAL may be indicated for the pasture evaluation.