Characterizing native palatable legume and non-legume species in the rangelands of the Overberg area
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Date
2020
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
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Publisher
University of the Western Cape
Abstract
The Overberg renosterveld rangelands of the Cape Floristic Region (CFR) has become well associated with commercial and communal agricultural practices, namely crop and livestock production. This Mediterranean region is characterized as being a semi-arid, winter rainfall area with nutrient-limited soils. Livestock farmers rely largely on introduced legume species such as lucerne (Medicago sativa) as high quality forage to sustain their livestock’s diets. Generally, these introduced species are reliant on the accessibility of water and nutrients, due to the specific climatic and edaphic conditions of the region. The availability of high quality forage has always been a major concern to farmers when it comes to managing their livestock, since livestock productivity is determined by the quality of the forage consumed.
Description
Magister Scientiae (Biodiversity and Conservation Biology) - MSc (Biodiv and Cons Biol)
Keywords
Overberg renosterveld, Livestock grazing, Indigenous Legumes, Forage quality, Livestock nutrition