Ledin, Inger
- Department of Applied Animal Science and Welfare, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Abstract
Acacia senegal, Guiera senegalensis and Pterocarpus lucens, browse species important in the Sahelian zone of Burkina Faso were studied by the estimation of their phenological variation over time and the evaluation of edible biomass production, total and accessible directly to animals. Biomass production was also estimated using dendrometric parameters. All the three species started the foliation phase as soon as the rains started. A. senegal and P. lucens flowered before G. senegalensis and A. senegal lost leaves earlier. The fruiting phase lasted 6-7 months for all species. Accessible edible biomass varied according to the animal species, the plant species and the height of plants. G. senegalensis showed the highest proportion of accessible biomass, but P. lucens had higher total edible biomass. Goats browsing at higher height had more edible biomass at their disposal. The accessible edible biomass was weakly correlated with tree parameters, while crown diameter was the best parameter to predict total edible biomass production, with R-2 varying from 90% (G. senegalensis) to 98% (P. lucens) in log(10) transformation of dependent and independent variables. The single species models developed could be applied in similar agro-ecological zones, taking into account the height stratification of plants. Further investigations on others species are needed to be able to estimate total biomass available for browsing. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords
Acacia senegal; Guiera senegalensis; phenology; Pterocarpus lucens
Published in
Journal of Arid Environments
2007, volume: 71, number: 4, pages: 376-392
Publisher: ACADEMIC PRESS LTD ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
SLU Authors
UKÄ Subject classification
Animal and Dairy Science
Veterinary Science
Publication identifier
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2007.03.019
Permanent link to this page (URI)
https://res.slu.se/id/publ/15233