Use of quantitative methods to determine leaf biomass on 15 woody shrub species in northeastern Mexico

The coast of the Gulf of Mexico is characterized by dry regions with a high variation in climatic conditions. This area is rich in drought-tolerant or subhumid species. In order to determine the most appropriate method in evaluating the leaf biomass of 15 shrubs species in a native matorral (thornscrub) of northeastern Mexico, a study was conducted to compare the following non-destructive methods: (1) Adelaide, (2) double sampling or dimensional analysis and (3) double sampling of branches. The non-destructive methods allow indirect relationships between leaf biomass and some ecological characteristics of the plants by using regression models. The methods were used to estimate leaf weight in each species. Ecological and morphological characteristics of these species were determined using a structural analysis. No single standard method estimated leaf biomass for all species on site, because of the diversity of forms in these species. However, Adelaide and the dimensional were the most precise, practical and simplest methods so they could be considered the method of choice for measuring the forage leaf biomass of many shrub species like Acacia rigidula Benth. (r2 = 0.98), Bernardia myricaefolia Wats. (r2 = 0.94), Caesalpinia mexicana A. Gray (r2 = 0.92), Leucophyllum frutescens (Berl) I.M. Johnst. (r2 = 0.95) y Zanthoxylum fagara (L.) Sarg. (r2 = 0.93), Celtis pallida Torr. (r2 = 0.99), Cordia boissieri A. DC. (r2 = 0.83), Parkinsonia aculeata L. (r2 = 0.83), among other species.