Die benutting van grasveld indie sentrale oranje‐vrystaat met skape

Uittreksel

‘n Studie van die benutting van suiwer klimaks grasveld in die Sentrale Oranje‐Vrystaat deur skape het getoon dat skape wel voorkeur aan sekere plantspesies bo ander gee. Hierdie seleksiepatroon verander nie baie van die somer na die winter nie, tensy die beskikbare materiaal van sommige smaaklike plantspesies beperkend word en die diere gevolglik genoodsaak word om die ander minder smaaklike spesies proporsioneel meer te benut. In die berekening van die gekorrigeerde spesie belangrikheid, is bo en behalwe die gebruiklike korreksie vir voorkoms (persentasie frekwensie), ook korreksies aangebring vir droëmateriaalproduksie per cm² basale oppervlakte en kwaliteit (ru‐proteïen‐ en verteerbare organiese materiaal‐inhoud). Met behulp van hierdie korreksiefaktore is die spesie‐belangrikheidswaardes ge‐korrigeer om ‘n getrouer weergawe van die werklike relatiewe belangrikheid van verskillende plant‐spesies te gee.

Abstract

A study of the utilization of climax grassveld by sheep in the central Orange Free State revealed a preference for certain species. The selection pattern differed very little from summer to winter unless material of preferred species became scarce and the animals were forced to graze proportionately more of the less palatable species. In calculating the corrected species importance the customary correction for presence (percentage frequency) was made, as well as corrections for dry matter production per cm² basal cover and for quality (crude protein and digestible organic matter content). These correction factors facilitated a more reliable value of the relative importance of the different species being obtained.