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Plant height at cutting had a significant inverse effect on rumen organic matter digestibility (OMD), neutral detergent fibre degradability (NDFD) and in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD). There was a positive linear correlation between IVDMD and both OMD and NDFD at 48–120 h. The fertilizer treatments did not yield any significant difference on OMD, NDFD or IVDMD. Copyright © 2003 Whurr Publishers Ltd

The dry matter yield (DMY) of Napier grass was significantly affected by plant height at cutting, fertilizer application and their interaction. The highest yield, 12.34 t/ha, was from cutting at 1.0 m with 92 kg N kg/ha. Plant height at cutting had a significant positive effect on number of leaves per tiller and per plant. The internodes and internode length per tiller, the number of tillers per plant and basal circumference were positively affected by both plant height at cutting and fertilizer application, but the effect of leaf:stem ratio on DMY was negative. Copyright © 2003 Whurr Publishers Ltd

A range inventory and condition study was conducted in three altitude zones: lowland (1500-1700m), medium altitude (1700-2000m), and highland (2000-2500m). Each altitude zone was stratified into four or five important grazing areas. One area represented lightly grazed government ranches or parks which were used as benchmarks, another area represented the seasonal grazing areas with an intermediate grazing pressure and the remaining were the heavily grazed roadsides, lakeshores and other communal grazing lands. The range condition assessment was based on the composition of the herbaceous layer, basal cover, litter cover, relative number of seedlings, age distribution of grasses, soil erosion and soil compaction. Dry matter was sampled in the mid-wet season to assess the relationship between available dry matter and range condition. A total of 36 grass species, 3 legume species, 2 sedge species, 15 other herbs and 31 species of trees were identified. The palatable Cenchrus ciliaris was dominant in the bench...

Introduction Pastoralists in eastern Ethiopia keep camels, cattle, goats, sheep and/or donkeys for their livelihood (Baars 2000). The livestock rely entirely on the natural rangeland for their nutrition. The conservation of this natural resource is hence extremely important, as it forms the basis and limits of pastoralist economy (Ahmed 1989). Degradation of the rangeland, defined as a reduction in the long-term productive capacity, results in a decrease in livestock production, which in turn affects the livelihood of pastoralists. Hence, proper management and conservation of the rangeland is essential. Rangeland degradation has taken place in eastern Ethiopia (Lulseged 1985; Survey 1992). This implies that rangelands have been exploited, without a corresponding conservation having been carried out. Scientists, administrators and pastoralists all put forward their own reasons and explanations for this state of affairs. In this paper we intend to analyse the perceptions of pastoralists towards rangeland degradation during the last twenty to thirty years. Our aim is firstly, to assess their awareness and opinions concerning rangeland degradation, secondly, to identify the reasons they give as to its causes and impacts, and finally, to set out their suggestions as to possible solutions to the problem. Their perceptions and analyses are, when required, supplemented by our own observations. Materials and Methods The study area This study was conducted in the Shinile Zone of the Somalia National Regional State, in eastern Ethiopia. Shinile Zone borders the Afar Region in the north, Djibouti in the north-east, and is hedged in by mountain fringes in the south and the west. The Zone has a human population of 354,053 of whom 85 percent live in rural areas (Census 1994). Pastoralism predominates, whereas cultivation is found in specific but small areas in a fringe along the highlands. The average annual rainfall ranges from about 250 mm in the northeast to 600 mm in the south, with a considerable variation between years (MOA 1982; see Map 1). The rainfall has a bimodal pattern, with slight rains from March to May and relatively heavier rains from July to September (MOA 1983). During the wet season the herds are found throughout the Zone in the plains, but during the dry season they graze mostly along the mountain fringes. The dominant soil types are fluvisols, lithosols and regosols (Survey 1992). [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Survey design A one-visit structured questionnaire was used in September 1998 to elicit responses from among twenty-six randomly selected male pastoralists, with an average age of 51 years (range 40 to 80). Five areas were selected: two 10 to 45 km away from Shinile town (Shinile N=7 and Harmukaale N=6), the other three more than 60 km away from Shinile town (Harawa N=3, Aydora N=7, and Aysha N=3). Twenty-three respondents were nomads, who shift their households frequently; the remaining three were semi-sedentary pastoralists. Results Current rangeland conditions The availability of grass was said to range from nil to several tons per hectare, depending on the rainfall and location, but it was in general judged as inadequate (see Table 1). The most common forage species were the grasses Chrysopogon plumuloses and Lasiurus scindicus, and the herb Tribulus (Table 2). Trees were mainly found along watercourses and mountains, and were scarce elsewhere. The most common trees were Acacia spp. (A. tortilis, A. bussei and A. senegal/A hamulosa) and Cadaba mirabilis. The notorious weed Parthenium hysterophorus was mentioned by 23 percent of the respondents. Cacti were not mentioned as common, although they dominate in some areas. Although erosion in the wet season was reported, the Zone is not very susceptible to water erosion because of its plain character. Gully and stream bank erosion, as well as drain enlargement, were mentioned. …

Grazing behaviour and diet selection of cattle were studied on a communally grazed floodplain and its adjacent wooded uplands in western Zambia to identify the interaction between basic herd management practices, foraging behaviour and body condition of cattle. On average, the cattle spent nine hours and 29 minutes (SD = 27 minutes) outside the kraal, with a range from about 8 hours in the dry season to almost 11 hours in the wet season, depending on the morning temperature and milking time. A significant (P

Two questionnaire surveys (2×44) were conducted among pastoral households, using three grazing management systems. The average number of Tropical Livestock Units (250 kg) was 4.0 per member of the household. Milk production was the most important source of revenue (66% of the total) followed by sale of livestock (17%) and transport (16%). High mortality rates were recorded for all livestock. About 27% of the milk was sold fresh or as butter. Sedentary and transhumant grazing management systems showed similar levels of income, but nomads had a 2.6-fold higher overall net income. The average total gross income from the entire herd amounted to US$ 6382 per household per year. The calculated costs were 29% of the gross returns. The contribution to the total gross revenues of camels, cattle and small ruminants was 58%, 25% and 17%, respectively.

Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum (L.) Schumach.) was studied using a 5 x 3 factorial experiment arranged in a randomised complete block design with three replications. The treatments were five fertiliser applications (0kg ha-1 N, 46kg ha-1 N and 92kg ha-1 N, 1t ha-1 and 2t ha-1 cattle manure) and three plant heights at cutting (0.5m, 1m and 1.5m). The mean dry matter (DM) yield was 8.21t ha-1 per cut but increased when the plant height at cutting increased and when the level of N fertilisation increased (P