Point quadrat analysis of foliage distribution for plants growing singly or in rows

Abstract

The foliage area of single plants can be estimated from the number of contacts with foliage made by a grid of point quadrats, and the foliage area per unit length of a row of plants can be estimated from the contacts made by quadrats along a transect across the row. These methods allow analysis of the vertical and lateral distribution of foliage area. This is illustrated by studies of single plants of saltbush and rows of beans.