(a) Complete the table below on forage crops... | WAEC SSCE - Animal Husbandry - 2025 (Essay)

Question 1 Report

(a) Complete the table below on forage crops

Botanical name	Common name	Types of forage
Pennisetum purpureum	(i)	Grass
Calopogonium mucunoides	(ii)	(iii)
(iv)	stylo	(v)
Panicum maxinium	(vi)	(vii)
Mucuna utilis	(viii)	Legume

(b)i. Define the term pasture

ii. State four ways in which grass-legume mixture is important in livestock production

Answer

(a) Completion of Table on Forage:

(i) Elephant grass
(ii) Calopo/calopogomium
(iii) Legume
(iv) Stylosanthesgracilis/guinansis/hamata/humilis/scabia
(v) Legume
(vi) Guinea grass
(vi) Grass
(viii) Macuna

(b)(i) Definition of pasture: A piece of land on which grass and/ or legumes/herbage species are naturally found or deliberately grown for feeding livestock.

(ii) Importance of grass-legume mixture in livestock production:

- Provide a variety of forage.

- Provides high nutrient content balanced diet.

- Conserves soil water/ reduces evaporation.

- Grass improves soil structure.

- Control erosion.

- Yield of pasture is improved.

- Legumes supply nitrogen to the soil, thus enriching it.

- lncreases the energy level for livestock/food.

- Suppresses the growth of weeds.

- Forage combination is more acceptable to animals.

- Improves the nutrient level of forage.

(c) Characteristics of rangeland;

- Contains a variety of forage.

- Provides shade for animals.

- Can withstand trampling by farm animals

- High regenerative ability.

- Produces high yield of forage crops if properly managed.

- Habours disease

- Labour

- Labours pests.

- Extensive area of land for grazing/high density.

- Produces abundant seeds

- Prone frequent tire outbreak.

- Low nutritive value.

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