Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-vdxz6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-25T15:22:48.290Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Seasonal and management effects on the composition and availability of herbage, steer diet and live-weight gains in a Themeda triandra grassland in Kenya. I. Methods and study of techniques

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

A. D. McKay
A. D. McKay
Affiliation:
East African Agriculture and Forestry Research Organisation, Mtiguga, Kenya
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

A 2·year grazing trial was carried out on an equatorial Themeda triandra range grassland in the Rift Valley of Kenya, at 1890 m altitude with a bimodal rainfall of 700 mm p.a., to characterize seasonal changes in the pasture and to determine the influence of climatic and management factors on forage availability and composition, grazing selection and live-weight gains on Boran steers (Bos indicus).

Fourteen categories of sampling and measurement techniques used in this work are described and some methodology problems in rangeland evaluation discussed.

For precise estimation of herbage yields in large paddocks unacceptably large plotsizes and numbers were required so an arbitrary sample of twelve 10 yd x 1 yd plots per paddock was adopted giving c.v.s of 16–50%. Subsequent sampling was limited to three contrasting treatments in the most uniform block. A ‘forceps point’ method was developed for botanical estimation of oesophageal fistula samples and provisional weight correction factors calculated. In a parallel feeding trial regressions were calculated for relating the chemical composition of oesophageal fistula samples to that of the herbage ingested.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 76 , Issue 1 , February 1971 , pp. 1 - 8
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1971

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Bredon, R. M., Tobell, D. T. & Marshall, B. (1967). Measurement of selective grazing of tropical pastures using oesophageal fistulated steers. J. Range Mgmt. 20, 317.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Friend, M. T., Kbrfoot, O. & Scott, R. M. (1962). Record of research. E. Afr. agric. For. Res. Org. pp. 88–95.Google Scholar
Ledger, H. P. & Hutchison, H. G. (1962). The value of the tenth rib as a sample joint for the estimation of lean, fat and bone in the carcases of East African Zebu cattle. J. agric. Sci., Camb. 58, 81.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McKay, A. D., Fransden, P. E., Odero, J. C., Sondergaard, M. & Nganga, S. P. (1969). Chemical composition of herbage from Themeda grassland in Kenya before and after collection from oesophageal fistulated steers. E. Afr. agric. For. J. 35, 190–96.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Robinson, P. (1955). Statistical problems in pasture research. Ph.D. thesis (cyclostyled). E.A.A.F.R.O., Muguga, Kenya.Google Scholar
Van Dyne, G. M. & Tobell, D. T. (1964). Development and use of the oesophageal fistula: a review. J. Range Mgmt. 17, 7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar