干旱区生态环境知识资源中心(Arid): Participatory inventory and nutritional evaluation of local forage resources for smallholder free-range beef production in semi-arid areas of South Africa

Arid

DOI	10.2989/10220119.2022.2121941
	Participatory inventory and nutritional evaluation of local forage resources for smallholder free-range beef production in semi-arid areas of South Africa
	Nyambali, Ayanda; Tjelele, Julius T.; Mndela, Mthunzi; Mapiye, Cletos; Strydom, Phillip; Raffrenato, Emiliano; Dzama, Kennedy; Muchenje, Voster; Mkhize, Ntuthuko
通讯作者	Tjelele, JT
来源期刊	AFRICAN JOURNAL OF RANGE & FORAGE SCIENCE
ISSN	1022-0119
EISSN	1727-9380
出版年	2023
卷号	40 期号:1 页码:62-70
英文摘要	Feed scarcity is a major challenge facing free-range beef farming in semi-arid areas. Specifically, low quality and quantity of forage in rangelands and higher feeding costs are the main constraints limiting smallholder free-range beef farmers' participation in mainstream beef markets. Using farmers' participatory approaches, this study identified major locally available forage resources (LAFRs) and evaluated their nutritional value. A total of 40 free-ranging commercially orientated smallholder beef farmers were interviewed using semi-structured questionnaires and tasked to identify LAFRs in the Cradock and Middelburg areas of the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Chemical analysis was conducted for the most cited forages such as African sheepbush (Pentzia incana), sweet thorn (Vachellia karroo) leaves and pods, reed (Phragmites australis), lucerne (Medicago sativa) hay, natural pasture grasses (NPGs) and barbary fig, or prickly pear cactus, (Opuntia ficus-indica) cladodes collected from twelve participants' farms. Feed shortage was ranked by more than 53% respondents as the main constraint to smallholder beef production. Regardless of the farming area, crude protein content of V. karroo leaves and pods averaging 18.8 and 19.5%, respectively, was higher than other LAFRs. However, V. karoo pods had relatively low ash content than other forages in both farming areas. Opuntia ficus-indica attained high in vitro neutral detergent fibre digestibility at 12, 24 and 48 hr incubation periods, due to low neutral detergent fibre, acid detergent fibre and acid detergent lignin. Integration of participatory inventory and chemical analysis proved to be reliable in identifying LAFRs, with V. karroo leaves and O. ficus-indica cladodes being the main potential forage resources for inclusion in beef cattle diets. Further research is recommended to substantiate their supplementary nutritive value and level of inclusion in beef cattle finishing diets.
英文关键词	chemical composition forage resources free-range beef farming in-vitro NDF digestibility participatory approaches
类型	Article
语种	英语
开放获取类型	Green Submitted
收录类别	SCI-E
WOS记录号	WOS:000864331700001
WOS关键词	DRY-MATTER ; CATTLE ; DIGESTIBILITY ; PERCEPTIONS ; GRASSES ; LEGUMES
WOS类目	Ecology ; Environmental Sciences
WOS研究方向	Environmental Sciences & Ecology
资源类型	期刊论文
条目标识符	http://119.78.100.177/qdio/handle/2XILL650/394992
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	Nyambali, Ayanda,Tjelele, Julius T.,Mndela, Mthunzi,et al. Participatory inventory and nutritional evaluation of local forage resources for smallholder free-range beef production in semi-arid areas of South Africa[J],2023,40(1):62-70.
APA	Nyambali, Ayanda.,Tjelele, Julius T..,Mndela, Mthunzi.,Mapiye, Cletos.,Strydom, Phillip.,...&Mkhize, Ntuthuko.(2023).Participatory inventory and nutritional evaluation of local forage resources for smallholder free-range beef production in semi-arid areas of South Africa.AFRICAN JOURNAL OF RANGE & FORAGE SCIENCE,40(1),62-70.
MLA	Nyambali, Ayanda,et al."Participatory inventory and nutritional evaluation of local forage resources for smallholder free-range beef production in semi-arid areas of South Africa".AFRICAN JOURNAL OF RANGE & FORAGE SCIENCE 40.1(2023):62-70.