New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research abstracts
Sustainability of New Zealand high-country pastures under contrasting
development inputs. 8. Modelling sheep carrying capacity
D. Scott
AgResearch
P.O. Box 60
Lincoln, New Zealand
Abstract Quantitative tabular and non-linear mathematical
response functions between sheep-grazing carrying capacities, S and P fertiliser
rates, S and P soil tests, stocking-rate, stocking-method, irrigation, and
year-to-year climate variation, were derived from empirical measurements
reported previously. The best fitting of the fertiliser response functions
was a polynomial quadratic response with the square root of S and P fertiliser
rates. Reliability factors were associated with each of the estimates. The
model multipliers show that carrying capacity increased up to a x4.8 increase
with S and P fertiliser, x1.2 with K and micro-nutrient fertiliser, x0.6-1.2
with annual climate variation, x3.3 with irrigation, and x0.6 for set-stocking
compared with mob-stocking.
Keywords New Zealand; high country; sustainability;
response functions; modelling; decision support systems
A01021 Received 16 July 2001; accepted 8 April 2002; published 30 September
2002
New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research, 2002, Vol. 45: 151-163
0028-8233/02/4503-0151 $7.00/0 © The Royal Society of New Zealand
2002
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