Introduction To Range And Pastures
Aperçu
Drive north out of Kaduna towards Sokoto in August and the landscape is a rolling carpet of green, tall grass swaying shoulder-high beside the road, cattle spread wide across it with a Fulani herdsman walking behind. Make the same drive in February and the same land is brown, cropped almost to the soil, dust rising with every hoof. Nothing about the land changed except the season, yet it decides whether a herd eats well or eats poorly, and whether it stays put or treks a hundred kilometres south in search of grazing.
In this lesson you will learn what separates a range from a pasture, and a natural pasture from an artificial one; meet the grasses and legumes a Nigerian farmer relies on for grazing; and understand why this single, unimproved resource still feeds more of Nigeria's cattle, sheep and goats than any manufactured feed ever could.
Objectifs
- Define range and pasture
- Distinguish between natural and artificial pastures
- State the importance of range and pasture to livestock production
- Give examples of common pasture grasses and legumes in Nigeria
- Explain the factors affecting pasture growth
Carte mentale
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Note de cours
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Évaluation de la leçon
Félicitations, vous avez terminé la leçon sur Introduction To Range And Pastures. Maintenant que vous avez exploré le concepts et idées clés, il est temps de mettre vos connaissances à lépreuve. Cette section propose une variété de pratiques des questions conçues pour renforcer votre compréhension et vous aider à évaluer votre compréhension de la matière.
Vous rencontrerez un mélange de types de questions, y compris des questions à choix multiple, des questions à réponse courte et des questions de rédaction. Chaque question est soigneusement conçue pour évaluer différents aspects de vos connaissances et de vos compétences en pensée critique.
Utilisez cette section d'évaluation comme une occasion de renforcer votre compréhension du sujet et d'identifier les domaines où vous pourriez avoir besoin d'étudier davantage. Ne soyez pas découragé par les défis que vous rencontrez ; considérez-les plutôt comme des opportunités de croissance et d'amélioration.
- Extensive, largely unimproved natural grazing land, typical of the Fulani pastoral system, is best described as a: A. Pasture B. Range C. Paddock D. Ranch Answer: B
- Which of the following is an artificial (cultivated) pasture grass in Nigeria? A. Stylo B. Centrosema C. Guinea grass D. Groundnut haulm Answer: C
- Legumes such as Centrosema and Stylo are sown with pasture grasses mainly because they: A. Grow taller than grasses B. Fix atmospheric nitrogen and raise protein content C. Are resistant to bush fire D. Require no rainfall Answer: B
- Pasture growth in Nigeria is most strongly limited during the: A. Wet season B. Dry season and harmattan C. Early rains D. Flowering season Answer: B
- The seasonal movement of pastoral herds in search of grazing is known as: A. Ranching B. Transhumance C. Rotation D. Zero-grazing Answer: B
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Questions de révision
Vous vous demandez à quoi ressemblent les questions passées sur ce sujet ? Voici plusieurs questions sur Introduction To Range And Pastures des années précédentes.
Question 1 Rapport
(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
(c) State six characteristics of rangelands
Détails de la réponse
(a) Completed table on forage crops
| Botanical name | Common name | Types of forage |
|---|---|---|
| Pennisetum purpureum | (i) Elephant grass (Napier grass) | Grass |
| Calopogonium mucunoides | (ii) Calopo | (iii) Legume |
| (iv) Stylosanthes gracilis | Stylo | (v) Legume |
| Panicum maximum | (vi) Guinea grass | (vii) Grass |
| Mucuna utilis | (viii) Velvet bean (Mucuna) | Legume |
(b) i. Definition of pasture
Pasture is an area of land covered with grasses and legumes (herbage) that is used for grazing or feeding livestock such as cattle, sheep and goats.
(b) ii. Four ways a grass-legume mixture is important in livestock production
- The legume component fixes atmospheric nitrogen through its root nodules, enriching the soil and improving the growth and yield of the companion grass.
- It supplies a balanced diet, since the grass provides energy (carbohydrate) while the legume supplies protein, giving the animal a more complete ration.
- It raises the total feeding value and palatability of the herbage, so animals eat more and gain weight or produce milk faster.
- The mixture gives a denser, all-year ground cover that protects the soil from erosion and suppresses weeds.
(c) Six characteristics of rangelands
- They are large expanses of natural, uncultivated land carrying native grasses, herbs and shrubs.
- The vegetation grows naturally and is not planted or managed by man.
- They occur mostly in semi-arid regions with low and unreliable rainfall.
- Animals feed by grazing and browsing directly on the natural herbage.
- They are generally of low carrying capacity, supporting few animals per unit area.
- The forage quantity and quality vary greatly with season, being lush in the wet season and scarce and dry in the dry season.
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