Cattle diet selection during the hot-dry season in a semi-arid region of Namibia

Abstract

The northern Kalahari Desert is dominated by Terminalia sericea savanna woodland and a sparse herbaceous layer. Range ecologists regard T. sericea as a major encroaching species and that such encroachment represents a cost to cattle production. In contrast, pastoralists regard this woody species as an important component of cattle diet, particularly during the hot-dry season or during drought. In this study, free-ranging cattle were observed during the peak of the pre-rain flushing period of deciduous plants during the hot-dry seasons of 2001 and 2002. Diet preference was evaluated by taking into account the proportion of diet consumed relative to its availability on the range. Diet preference was compared to diet quality. Cattle spent 71% of time feeding on browse during the hot-dry season. Terminalia sericea, Bauhinia petersiana and Philenoptera nelsii contributed 74.5% to browse consumption. Philenoptera nelsii was the most preferred browse. Generally, cattle preferred browse with high crude protein and phosphorus content but avoided browse with high fibre content. This study confirmed the long-term observations by local pastoralists that woody species contribute significantly to cattle diet during the hot-dry season in the northern Kalahari. We recommend that rehabilitation of encroached rangelands should take into account the role of browse in semi-arid environments.

Pastoralists’ perceptions and realities of vegetation change and browse consumption in the northern Kalahari, Namibia

“…A correlation of previously obtained data for the actual time cattle spent consuming a particular species (Katjiua and Ward, 2006a) and pastoralists' ranking of browse species contribution to cattle diet was highly significant (Spearman rank correlation, r ¼ 0.70, Po0.05, n ¼ 13).…”

“…Acacia species are defended with physical structures such as thorns which reduce herbivory by large mammalian herbivores such as goats and cattle (Rohner and Ward, 1997;Launchbaugh, 2001). In contrast, physically unprotected species such as Grewia flava, Bauhinia petersiana and Terminalia sericea may provide valuable browse to livestock in the northern Kalahari (Katjiua and Ward, 2006a). Thus, while bush encroachment may reduce range productivity on some Namibia rangelands, it may also provide valuable forage for livestock production on other rangelands.…”

“…A cluster analysis was performed using UPGMA (Unweighted Pair Group Means with Arithmetic Averages) based on a Euclidean distance matrix. Pearson product-moment correlations were also used to determine the relationships between local knowledge of cattle browse consumption and actual field-based browse consumption data obtained from a concurrent study (Katjiua and Ward, 2006a).…”

Intensity of browsing on trees and shrubs under experimental variation of cattle stocking densities in southern Bolivia

“…The gradually increasing maturity of the grasses may be a factor influencing a shift in diet composition from mainly herbaceous plants towards an increasing inclusion of woody plants (Guevara et al, 1996), and may also explain the increase in browsing intensity on the woody species seen in the present study, during the transition from late wet to early dry season. An increasing inclusion of woody plants in the diet selected by cattle in some regions and seasons, especially during the unfavourable (i.e., dry) season, has been reported elsewhere (Guevara et al, 1996;Moleele, 1998;Katjiua and Ward, 2006). …”

Plant species selection by free-ranging cattle in southern Bolivian tropical montane forests

“…In general a decrease in the contribution of graminoids to plant selection and an increase in the proportion of woody plants over time were observed. The occurrence and increase of foraging on woody plants by cattle in certain seasons is also known from other studies (Guevara et al 1996(Guevara et al , 1997Katjiua & Ward 2006, Moleele 1998.…”