Influence of Communal Area Grazing Management System on the Nutritive Value of Forages Selected by Cattle in a Semi-Arid Area of Zimbabwe
- 1. Department of Livestock, Wildlife and Fisheries, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Great Zimbabwe University, P. O. Box 1235, Masvingo, Zimbabwe.
- 2. Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zimbabwe.
- 3. Department of Wildlife and Safari Management, Chinhoyi University of Technology, Private Bag 7724, Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe.
Description
A study was conducted to determine the effect of grazing management system on the nutritive value of forages selected by cattle. Animals were observed while grazing and the grazed samples were collected. The samples were analysed for chemical composition and digestibility. There were significant (P<0.05) interactions between grazing system and month of sampling on acid detergent fibre (ADF) and crude protein (CP) contents of the forages. Month of sampling had a significant (P<0.05) effect on all the parameters analysed. Samples collected under the traditional grazing system had significantly (p<0.05) higher levels of in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) and less ADF and NDF content compared to those forages from the grazing scheme. The CP content of the forages selected was not affected by grazing system (P>0.05). These findings suggest that grazing schemes tended to compromise the quality of forages selected under poor range conditions, possibly due to limited range resources. The ability of cattle under traditional grazing system to switch effectively among the different range resources might have enhanced the quality of forages selected.
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061713678 Tinoziva et al.pdf
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