Rangeland Ecology & Management

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SEASONAL VARIABILITY IN DIET SELECTION BY SHEEP GRAZING AT THE SEMI-ARID RANGELANDS OF THE KORDOFAN REGION OF SUDAN
Author
Abdelkreim, Mohammed M.
M. FADLALLA, Babo
Publisher
Society for Range Management
Publication Year
2015
Body

This study was conducted at El- khuwei Locality, Kordofan region, Sudan. Two sites were selected, El-Rosa enclosure and a control in the open area nearby. This study investigated seasonal variability in diets selection by sheep grazing. Vegetation measurements were conducted and botanical composition of the diet selected by sheep was determined using the bite count technique. Moreover, voluntary feed intake was assessed using the product of the quantity of feces collected over a specific period of time and in vitro digestion coefficient of forage plants selected by sheep. During the flowering season, plants with highest relative preference index (RPI) in the enclosure were Zornia spp. (12.9), Merremia spp. (12.6) and Desmodium spp. (2.0). In the open range the plants with highest (RPI) were Desmodium spp. (15.9), Ipomea eriocapa (15.7) and Echniochloa colonum (5.1). The most important plants selected by sheep at the seed set stage within the enclosure as indicated by RPI were Ceratotheca spp. (22.4), Zornia spp. (2.1), Desmodium spp., and Eragrostis tremula (1.7). In the open range the plants with highest RPI were Desmodium spp. (10.4), Zornia spp. (6.5) and Ipomea eriocapa (2.5). The crude protein (CP%) of biomass at flowering stage within the enclosure was 10.9%. That of the simulated diet at the same time was 15.3%. In the open range CP% of biomass was 10%. That of the simulated diet at the same time was 11.9%. Individual herbaceous plants found to contain high CP% were Acanthus spp. (18.4%), Zornia spp. (16.6%) and Desmodium spp. (16.6%). Sheep can select a diet superior to the average quality of the vegetation. The most preferred plants by sheep in this study were Desmodium dichotomum, Zornia spp., and Ceratotheca spp.

Language
English
Resource Type
Text
Document Type
Conference Proceedings
Conference Name
SRM Sacramento, CA