New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research abstracts

---

Application of canonical discriminant analysis, principal component analysis, and canonical correlation analysis as tools for evaluating differences in pasture botanical composition

C. MATTHEW

Department of Plant Science
Massey University
Private Bag 11-222
Palmerston North, New Zealand

C. R. O. LAWOKO

Department of Statistics
Massey University
Private Bag 11-222
Palmerston North, New Zealand

C. J. KORTE
D. SMITH

AgResearch
Poukawa Research Station
P. O. Box 8144
Havelock North, New Zealand

Abstract  The application of three multivariate analysis techniques (canonical discriminant analysis (CDA), principal component analysis (PCA), and canonical correlation analysis (CCA)) for evaluation of pasture botanical composition data is illustrated and discussed. CDA and PCA were used to describe differences in pasture botanical composition for different microsites within a pasture near Palmerston North, New Zealand. CCA could not be validly applied to this data set because a sampling strategy inappropriate for CCA had been used to collect the data. However, CCA is conceptually ideal for determining association between two groups of variables and CCA was used for a second data set from the Hawkes Bay region to establish association between differences in pasture botanical composition and differences in environmental variables. CCA identified a transition from white clover (Trifolium repens L.) to subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum L.) presence associated with decreasing rainfall, and a similar transition from ryegrass presence to browntop presence associated with altitude. There are practical difficulties in obtaining a suitable data set for canonical correlation, but with attention to sampling strategy a more precise definition of effect of environmental factors on pasture botanical composition would be expected.

Keywords  canonical discriminant analysis; principal component analysis; canonical correlation analysis; pasture botanical composition; fertility; altitude; rainfall; stocking rate; ryegrass; Lolium perenne L.; browntop; Agrostis capillaris L.; white clover; Trifolium repens L.; subterranean clover; Trifolium subterraneum L.

New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research, 1994, Vol. 37: 509-520

0028-8233/94/3704-0509 $2.50/0 (c) The Royal Society of New Zealand 1994

PDF file of entire paper: medium quality (987K); (scanned from paper original: notes about this process)

---

Go to our home page, the Gateway to New Zealand science

---

This year's abstracts | Journal home page | All abstracts | Publishing home page