Diet Mixing and Supplementation Present an Opportunity to Increase the Use of Encroaching Woody Plants by Goats.

Along with the woody plant expansion that is predicted to continue at the expense of the grassy layer is the increasing societal demand for animal protein and livestock products. Unless concerted efforts by land users, ecologists, and animal scientists are made to increase the utilization of trees and shrubs as forage, it will be impossible to meet future demand for meat and meat products. We conducted two short-term pen experiments to determine the effects of (1) supplementation with polyethylene glycol (PEG-a polymer purported to bind and neutralize the negative effects of tannins), a high-protein source (soybean meal), and a high-energy source (yellow maize grain) and (2) diet mixing (single-species vs.

Resprouting Response among Savanna Tree Species in Relation to Stem Size, Woody Removal Intensity and Herbicide Application.

Mechanical and chemical methods are widely used to control woody plant encroachment in many African countries. However, very little is known about the effectiveness of these control methods among woody species of different ages. We conducted a field experiment to determine the effects of different tree removal treatments (10%, 20%, 50%, 75% and 100%) and herbicide application (Picloram; 6 mL L) on the resprouting ability and vigour of 12 woody plant species.

Relationships between Agronomic Traits of Moringa Accessions and In Vitro Gas Production Characteristics of a Test Feed Incubated with or without Moringa Plant Leaf Extracts.

The use of medicinal plants and their extracts has recently attracted the attention of many researchers as a methane (CH) mitigation strategy. This study evaluated the relationship of agronomic traits of Moringa accessions with in vitro gas production measurements and feed digestibility from ruminants. Twelve Moringa accessions were grown at the Roodeplaat experimental site of the Agricultural Research Council in Pretoria, South Africa.

Screening of Candidate Bioactive Secondary Plant Metabolite Ion-Features from Accessions Associated with High and Low Enteric Methane Inhibition from Ruminants.

This study evaluated the relationship of secondary bioactive plant metabolite ion-features (MIFs) of Moringa oleifera accessions with antimethanogenesis to identify potential MIFs that were responsible for high and low methane inhibition from ruminants. Plant extracts from 12 Moringa accessions were evaluated at a 50 mg/kg DM feed for gas production and methane inhibition. Subsequently, the accessions were classified into low and high enteric methane inhibition groups.

The effects of abiotic factors in South African semi-arid grassland communities on Seriphium plumosum L density and canopy size.

Most studies suggest that multiple factors are responsible for woody plant encroachment, but are inconclusive on its causes. Woody plant encroachment is modified by local patterns of disturbance, topography, soil texture and fertility, and their relative importance and interaction strength varies among locations. We used grassland communities, Carletonville Dolomite Grassland (CDG), Rand Highveld Grassland (RHG) and abiotic factors (Soil Organic Carbon (SOC), Total nitrogen (TN), Phosphorus (P), Potassium (K), Sodium (Na), Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg) and pH) to investigate habitat preferences of Seriphium plumosum L.

The effects of seed ingestion by livestock, dung fertilization, trampling, grass competition and fire on seedling establishment of two woody plant species.

The increasing rate of woody plant encroachment in grasslands or savannas remains a challenge to livestock farmers. The causes and control measures of woody plant encroachment are of common interest, especially where it negatively affects the objectives of an agricultural enterprise. The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of gut passage (goats, cattle), dung (nutrients), fire, grass competition and trampling on establishment of A.