Vegetation of the Owen Sitole College of Agriculture in Zululand, KwaZulu-Natal

Linden, J.P. van der; Siebert, S.J.; Siebert, Frances; Ferreira, Denilson; Bredenkamp, G.J.

doi:10.4102/koedoe.v48i1.164

Cited by 12 publications

(9 citation statements)

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“…OSCA is located at 28˚57'45"-28˚57'22"S latitude and 31˚55'31"-31˚57'22"E longitude within the Coastal Forest and Thornveld ( Van der Linden et al, 2005 Linden et al, 2005). The study area was located north of the main gate of OSCA.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diet selection by Nguni goats in the Zululand Thornveld

Basha¹,

Scogings²,

Nsahlai³

2010

SA J. An. Sci.

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________________________________________________________________________________ AbstractThe aim was to determine diet selection of goats grazing/browsing in Zululand Thornveld. An experiment was done in spring (November 2007) and autumn (March/April 2008) at Owen Sitole College of Agriculture, KwaZulu-Natal. Diet selection was estimated using direct observation of animals and an indirect plant-based method. The browse species observed in the plant-based methods were: Gymnosporia senegalensis (Gs), Acacia nilotica (An), Acacia karroo (Ak), Scutia myrtina (Sm) and Dichrostachys cinerea (Dc). Selection was determined by observing at regular intervals 40 marked branches on 10 plants of each browse species. Direct observation of diet selection was done by observing two goats in a base herd of 24 castrated males when they were allowed to forage together in a paddock of 1 ha. Observations were made every minute for three hours in the morning and 1.5 hours in the afternoon. The relative abundance of the browse species in the veld was determined and used to estimate the selection index (utilization relative to availability). In both seasons, the three most selected species according to the plant-based observations were Sm, Ak and Dc. Consistently, An experienced moderate defoliation and Gs the least. However, on the basis of the selection index the species followed the order: An>Dc>Ak>Sm>Gs in spring and An>Sm>Dc>Ak>Gs in autumn. The selection index was negatively correlated to all fibre attributes although the correlation attained significance only for NDF, ADF and lignin but not for tannins and cellulose. Both methods did not rank species in the same order, thus suggesting the need for further methodological refinement. ________________________________________________________________________________

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diet selection by Nguni goats in the Zululand Thornveld

Basha¹,

Scogings²,

Nsahlai³

2010

SA J. An. Sci.

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“…A spatial pattern of bush clumps of this nature is apparently not commonplace in South Africa. Apart from this study, bush clumps have been described in South Africa for a few mesic localities (van Rooyen 1983, Gower et al 1992, van der Linden et al 2005. Other examples of bush clumps in mesic environments are from Texas, USA (Archer et al 1988) and Côte d'Ivoire in West Africa (Mordelet et al 1993), although clumps also occur in non-grassland or savanna environments (e.g.…”

Section: Why Bush Clumps?mentioning

confidence: 91%

“…The few available descriptions of clumps suggest involvement of an Acacia species in their formation (Gower et al 1992, van der Linden et al 2005, Mucina and Rutherford 2006. Degradation of termitaria was implicated in the establishment of Acacia nilotica and subsequent development of bush clumps in KwaZulu-Natal (Gower et al 1992).…”

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confidence: 97%

Bush clump succession in grassland in the Kei Road region of the Eastern Cape, South Africa

O’Connor

Chamane

2012

African Journal of Range & Forage Science

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Bush encroachment is a vegetation dynamic of global interest. This study describes the pattern of succession of bush clumps in the Eastern Cape, South Africa, using a space-for-time substitution. Clumps formed following establishment of mainly Acacia karroo in grassland through nucleation via animal dispersal. A total of 49 tree or shrub species were recorded in 40 clumps. With increasing clump size, there was a corresponding increase in woody basal area, species richness and diversity, but not evenness. Correspondence analysis showed that the pattern of compositional variation was closely related to clump size; differences resulting from clump establishment disappeared as clumps developed. Population size structure of 20 (of 21) species was dominated by small individuals, indicating that regeneration has increased over time. Coddia rudis was prolific on a clump periphery; Scutia myrtina and A. karroo were dominant within clumps. Seven shrub and nine tree species were encountered more frequently within a clump than on its periphery. All species other than A. karroo had fruits suited to dispersal by birds or mammals. The overall pattern of bush clump succession shows close parallels with that initiated by invasion of Prosopis glandulosa into grassland in Texas, USA.

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“…The area extends between latitudes 28°57′45″ to 28°57′22″ S and between longitudes 31°55′31″ to 31°57′22″ E (van der Linden et al 2005). The mean annual rainfall of OSCA is 995 mm, with 75% of it falling between October and April ( Figure 1).…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 97%

“…maranguensis; Coates-Palgrave 2002) and Scutia myrtina. Although all six species are common and widespread throughout the study area, A. natalitia, A. nilotica and D. cinerea are dominant where grazing and fire management have not been implemented effectively (van der Linden et al 2005), while S. myrtina is normally present in bush clumps where it grows vigorously and makes the area inaccessible.…”

Section: Study Animals and Plantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Season and plant species influence foraging efficiency of Nguni goats in pens

Mkhize

Scogings

Dziba

et al. 2011

African Journal of Range & Forage Science

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This study investigated the seasonal and plant species patterns of short-term intake rate (STIR) by Nguni goats fed six common browse species in subhumid subtropical savannas. Six 2-year-old castrated Nguni goats weighing an average of 26 kg each were penned individually and maintained on a basal diet of ram, lamb and ewe pellets and grass hay. The STIR was influenced by season, with the highest mean STIR recorded during the dry season (mean ± SEM: 0.18 ± 0.012 g DM s −1 ) and least during the late wet season (0.15 ± 0.009 g DM s −1 ). Broadleaf species had higher STIR than fine-leaf species (0.18 ± 0.052 g DM s −1 vs 0.14 ± ± 0.055 g DM s −1 ). Species that produce new leaves on new long shoots were consumed at higher rates than those that produce new leaves on short shoots (0.19 ± 0.054 g DM s −1 vs 0.15 ± 0.056 g DM s −1 ). STIR showed no clear patterns in relation to leaf chemistry. These results can be used to improve estimates of intake rates from free-foraging animals using direct observation methods based on time spent at a feeding station depending on the plant species and the season in which it is consumed.

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Vegetation of the Owen Sitole College of Agriculture in Zululand, KwaZulu-Natal

Cited by 12 publications

References 0 publications

Diet selection by Nguni goats in the Zululand Thornveld

Diet selection by Nguni goats in the Zululand Thornveld

Bush clump succession in grassland in the Kei Road region of the Eastern Cape, South Africa

Season and plant species influence foraging efficiency of Nguni goats in pens

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