Examination of utilization gauge efficiency for measuring utilization of native grasses of Iran

There are various methods to measure the utilization of grasses that each of these methods has its own advantages and disadvantages. The use of utilization gauge for grasses and grass-like species is one of these methods. This research was aimed to investigate the efficiency of utilization gauge in determining the utilization rate of native grasses in Iran. Thus, the utilization rate of Agropyron cristatum and Stipa barbata was measured by utilization gauge method, and the conformity of results with the weight ratio method (control) was assessed by linear regression. Since the utilization scales are prerequisite to the use of utilization gauge, which currently do not exist in our country, first these scales were developed. For this purpose, 30 plant individuals were sampled, of which 25 individuals were used to provide utilization scales and five individuals were used to evaluate the conformity of the two methods. According to the results, the two methods showed good conformity, so that the utilization gauge could be used to estimate the utilization of grasses. Since this method is rapid, non-destructive, and cheap, the use of utilization gauge is recommended to estimate the utilization rate of native grasses.