Forage supply in thinned Caatinga enriched with buffel grass (Cenchrus ciliaris L.) grazed by goats and sheep - doi: 10.4025/actascianimsci.v34i2.12548

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Forage supply from herbs was assessed in a thinned Caatinga enriched with buffel grass (Cenchrus ciliaris L.) exposed to goat and sheep grazing. The 2.4 ha experimental area, located at the Experimental Station of the Federal University of Campina Grande, in Santa Terezinha, Paraíba State, Brazil, was divided into four 0.6 ha paddocks, which were further subdivided into two 0.3 ha experimental plots. Twelve F1 (Boer x SRD) goats and 12 Santa Inês sheep were divided in four groups of six animals of the same species. The herbaceous vegetation was separated into buffel grass (Cenchrus ciliaris L.), dicotyledons and other grass species. Treatments were randomized to plots according to a completely random design with two treatments, four replications, with measures repeated in time (July/1, Aug/1, Sept/1 and Oct/1. Buffel grass dry mater (DM) availability was higher in the sheep grazed than in the goatgrazed area. Buffel grass DM supply did not change from July to September, while dicotyledons DM supply decreased. Grazing affected availability, accumulation rate and supply of the forage produced (DM basis) by dicotyledonous herbs. Buffel grass forage availability was not affected during the experimental period.

Evaluation of Buffel Grass Forage Production, Soil Microbial Biomass, and Enzymatic Activity in Silvopastoral Systems

“…The productivity of buffel grass in SPS1 and SPS2 (see Table 1 ) was lower than that reported by Formiga et al (2012) in monoculture, indicating a decrease in productivity when the forage grass was intercropped in the silvopastoral system due the reduction the useable area for cultivation. In the silvopastoral system without pigeon pea (SPS1), the canopy height was higher at distances of 8 m from the E. urograndis line (see Table 1 ), indicating that the incidence of light and less competition for water and nutrients had a positive effect on forage growth ( Gómez et al 2013 ).…”

Forage availability and weight gain of goats on caatinga enriched with Urochloa trichopus (Hochst.) Stapf subjected to fallowing and fertilized with phosphate

“…Pastures managed at different heights provide different forage masses, interfering with the availability and accessibility of pastures to animals, affecting intake by grazing animals and the animal (30,31) . On the other hand, the botanical composition of the diet for goats, sheep and cattle in the caatinga tends to adjust to the frequency, availability and supply of dry matter (35) , with emphasis on species with better nutritional value (36,37) , especially in protein (38) .…”

Comparison between lambs and goat kids meat production of animals fed Caatinga vegetation enriched with buffel (Cenchrus ciliaris L.) grass

“…However, this difference disappeared over time, which led them to classify sheep and goats as intermediate selectors of high food flexibility according to the season and availability of forage. In addition, the combination of goat and sheep can increase the grazing pressure on grasses in semi-arid regions (FORMIGA et al, 2012). Regarding the diets of goats and sheep in terms of the groups of plant species, the largest similarities occurred in the dry season, i.e., 95.8% for woody plants and 93.4% for grasses, while in the transition between rainy/dry seasons, the similarity was 75.9% for herbaceous dicotyledons (ARAÚJO et al, 1996).…”