Estimating Botanical Composition of Forage Samples from Fistulated Steers by a Microscope Point Method

Abstract

A microscope point method was used to develop weight prediction equations for plant species in masticated forage samples of known species weights collected at the end of two successive growing seasons. A high correlation was found in regressions of percent weight on percent points for all the masticated plant species. Two observers were consistent in their ability to estimate similar amounts of plant species in a given species mixture. With 400 microscope points, the average weight of a species was estimated within 5% of the mean at a 90% level of probability when the species constituted 30 to 60% of the sample weight.