Optimum Size and Shape of Quadrat for Sampling Herbage Weight in Grasslands of Northern Greece

Abstract

Five quadrat sizes, 0.0625, 0.125, 0.250, 0.500, and 1 square meter and three shapes, square, rectangular, and circular were tested in an ungrazed foothill bunchgrass range of northern Greece to determine the optimum quadrat for sampling herbage yield. Data on total herbage weight and clipping time were collected, which showed a high degree of variability. Shapes did not produce significantly different results. Larger quadrats were more efficient statistically but less efficient timewise than smaller quadrats. By maximizing the product of statistical and time efficiency, it was found that a quadrat of 0.0625 m2 of any shape was the optimum quadrat for herbage weight estimates.