Biomass Estimation in a Young Stand of Mesquite (Prosopis spp.), Ironwood (Olneya tesota), Palo Verde (Cercidium floridium, and Parkinsonia aculeata), and Leucaena (Leucaena leucocephala)

Abstract

Simple methods for estimating standing biomass in a stand of tree legumes containing the genera Prosopis, Cercidium, Olneya, Leucaena, and Parkinsonia are reported. Fresh and dry biomass were related to height and stem diameter measurements for 212 leguminous trees ranging in biomass from 0.04 to 17.8 kg using linear regression. The dry matter content of the above-ground biomass of these genera ranged from 40 to 56% and the stem dry matter percentage ranged from 70 to 96%. The best functional form of the model was log10 dry weight (kg) = 2.55 log basal diameter (cm)-1.25, which had an r2 of 0.956 for 212 samples.