Comparison of Three Methods of Assessing Grassland Productivity and Biomass Dynamics

Data from three different grassland communities were analyzed to evaluate the effectiveness of three methods of estimating net production of plant communities dominated by various mixtures of grasses, forbs and shrubs. The methods were: (1) peak standing crop, (2) summation of peak biomass for each species, and (3) incremental summation of biomass increases. Each method was applied to living biomass, standing dead biomass and litter. Comparison of the methods indicates that each has its application, but in most cases summation of positive biomass increases gave maximum estimates of community net productivity.