Year Round Pasture Cover Equations Table - C-Dax pasture meter+ Operation Manual

Intercept
•
On your console the intercept is referred to as "ConSt"
•
The intercept relates to how much dry matter cannot be read by the sensor (i.e. is below
the bottom sensor)
•
If your calculated intercept = 750 this means:
o
750 kg DM/ha sits below the bottom sensor and cannot be read
o
When pasture height using the sensor 0 mm there is actually 750 kgDM/ha of
pasture residue
o
Pasture residue accumulates (increases) as grasses become more established
and/or the growing season becomes drier (i.e. moving from spring through to
summer).
Working Example
•
Slope "Factr" = 18.6, intercept "ConSt" = 750
•
Measured pasture height = 110 mm
Pasture height x Slope + Intercept = kgDM/ha
During 2008, AgResearch, DairyNZ and Massey University with the support of
Pastoral 21 Feeds Program conducted extensive independent calibration of the
C-Dax Pasture Meter on dairy pastures throughout New Zealand. Pastoral 21 is
funded by NZ Governments Foundation for Research, Science and Technology
(FRST), DairyNZ, Fonterra and Meat &Wool NZ.
Standardised trials were run in Northland (Dargaville), Waikato (Ruakura),
Taranaki (Hawera), Canterbury (Lincoln) and Southland (Wallacetown). The
results of these trials are shown in the table below.

Year Round Pasture Cover Equations Table

Use the following table to select the suggested Pasture Cover Equation:
Region
Northland
Waikato
Taranaki
Canterbury
Southland
110 x 18.6 + 750 = 2796 kgDM/ha
Multiplier (FACTr) Constant (ConSt)
22.6
16.3
21.8
18.1
17.7
744
700
827
729
825
30