Pasture Establishment And Management
Gbogbo ọrọ náà
A pasture does not happen by accident. Left to itself, bush land in Nigeria grows thorny scrub and coarse, unpalatable grass that cattle, sheep and goats barely touch. A productive pasture, thick with grasses like Guinea grass and Elephant grass and threaded through with nitrogen fixing legumes like Centrosema and Stylo, is built deliberately: the right site chosen, the land cleared and prepared, the right species sown at the right time, and the young sward protected until it can stand on its own.
Building it is only half the job. A pasture also has to be managed once it is grazing ready, and the single decision that matters most is how the animals are allowed onto it. Turn a herd loose on the whole field all season and the pasture quietly collapses under overgrazing. Divide the same field into paddocks and move the herd through them in turn, and the same land feeds more animals, for longer, on less land. This lesson takes you through establishing a pasture, managing it once established, and the grazing systems that decide whether it lasts.
Ebumnobi
- Explain the methods of establishing a pasture
- State the factors considered in pasture establishment
- Explain the practices involved in pasture management
- Explain the systems of grazing
- State the effects of overgrazing on pasture
Maapụ uche
E seela isiokwu a ka ị hụ otu echiche si ejikọta.
Kaadị ncheta
Omume ncheta ngwa ngwa n'ihe a na-anwale n'isiokwu a.
Akwụkwọ Ọmụmụ
Yi rajista ka ci gaba
Kpọpụta akaụntụ n’efu ka ị nweta ohere na ihe ọmụmụ niile, ajụjụ omume, ma soro mmepe gị.
Nnyocha Ọmụmụ
Ekele diri gi maka imecha ihe karịrị na Pasture Establishment And Management. Ugbu a na ị na-enyochakwa isi echiche na echiche ndị dị mkpa, ọ bụ oge iji nwalee ihe ị ma. Ngwa a na-enye ụdị ajụjụ ọmụmụ dị iche iche emebere iji kwado nghọta gị wee nyere gị aka ịmata otú ị ghọtara ihe ndị a kụziri.
Ị ga-ahụ ngwakọta nke ụdị ajụjụ dị iche iche, gụnyere ajụjụ chọrọ ịhọrọ otu n’ime ọtụtụ azịza, ajụjụ chọrọ mkpirisi azịza, na ajụjụ ede ede. A na-arụpụta ajụjụ ọ bụla nke ọma iji nwalee akụkụ dị iche iche nke ihe ọmụma gị na nkà nke ịtụgharị uche.
Jiri akụkụ a nke nyocha ka ohere iji kụziere ihe ị matara banyere isiokwu ahụ ma chọpụta ebe ọ bụla ị nwere ike ịchọ ọmụmụ ihe ọzọ. Ekwela ka nsogbu ọ bụla ị na-eche ihu mee ka ị daa mba; kama, lee ha anya dị ka ohere maka ịzụlite onwe gị na imeziwanye.
- Which of the following grasses is normally established from vegetative cuttings rather than seed? A. Guinea grass B. Elephant grass C. Centrosema D. Stylo Answer: B
- The main reason grazing is deferred for several weeks after a pasture is sown is to: A. Allow weeds to be identified and sprayed B. Give the young roots time to establish before the plants are bitten C. Wait for the rains to end D. Allow fertiliser to be applied first Answer: B
- In rotational grazing, a paddock that has just been grazed is: A. Grazed again immediately by a second herd B. Left to rest and regrow before the herd returns to it C. Ploughed and resown D. Left ungrazed permanently Answer: B
- Which of these is an effect of overgrazing on a pasture? A. Increased carrying capacity B. Invasion by unpalatable weeds C. Deeper, stronger root systems D. Higher legume content Answer: B
- A farmer includes Centrosema in a pasture mixture mainly because it: A. Grows faster than any grass B. Fixes nitrogen and adds protein to the sward C. Is unpalatable to weeds D. Requires no rainfall Answer: B
Yi rajista ka ci gaba
Kpọpụta akaụntụ n’efu ka ị nweta ohere na ihe ọmụmụ niile, ajụjụ omume, ma soro mmepe gị.
Yi rajista ka ci gaba
Kpọpụta akaụntụ n’efu ka ị nweta ohere na ihe ọmụmụ niile, ajụjụ omume, ma soro mmepe gị.
Akwụkwọ A Na-atụ Aro
Ajụjụ Nnyocha
Nna, you dey wonder how past questions for this topic be? Here be some questions about Pasture Establishment And Management from previous years.
Ajụjụ 1 Ripọtì
(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
Akọwa Nkọwa
(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.
Yi rajista ka ci gaba
Kpọpụta akaụntụ n’efu ka ị nweta ohere na ihe ọmụmụ niile, ajụjụ omume, ma soro mmepe gị.