(a) Explain the following terms as used in pasture and range management. (i) fodder; (ii) paddocking: (iii) reseeding; (iv) stocking rate; (v) natural pasture.
(b) State five factors which could affect the establishment of pasture in West Africa.
(c) State five ways in which weeds are of economic importance in livestock production.
Explanation
(a) Explanation of Terms:
(1) Fodder: -It is any coarsely chopped grass/cereal crop/legume in dry or fresh form that is cut, carried, and fed to farm animals/ruminants.
(ii) Paddocking: -This is a process of dividing or partitioning rangeland into a number of plots/sections/paddocks/units with fences.
(iii) Reseeding -It is a process of replanting/resowing seeds of forage crops on a depleting pasture. it is a way of improving rangeland that has been depleted or the crops that have shown a sign of dying off by replanting/resowing seeds of legumes and grass.
(iv) Stocking rate; it is the number of animals on a given area of pasture/rangeland. The number of animals that could graze a particular area of pasture.
(v) Natural pasture: A pasture or grassland where the vegetation grows on their own and are fed upon by farm animals.
(b) Factors Affecting the Establishment of Pasture in West Africa:
- Lack of quality pasture seeds/crown/ planting material.
- Presence of pest.
- Presence of disease
- Lack of knowledge of appropriate time interplanting legumes with grass
- Poor adaptability of exotic species.
- Poor knowledge of optimum grass-legumes
- Changes in climatic conditions.
- Inadequate capital.
- Inadequate labour.
- Inadequate water supply
- Rampant bush fire/burn burning
(c) Economic Importance of Weed to Livestock Production:
- Competes with forage and therefore reduce soil nutrient availability to pasture crops
- Could damage the skin of animals.
- Could contaminate milk of lactating animals
- Could be poisonous to livestock.
- Non-toxic weed may serve as additional feed to farm animals.
- Availability of variety of nutritional forages.
- It can be used as ethno-veterinary/medicine.
- Control of weeds add to the cost of production.