| dc.description.abstract |
The study was conducted at the Towoomba Research Station, situated in the Sourish Mixed of the Limpopo Province, South Africa. Changes in the herbaceous component were studied over a sixty five year period under different long-term seasonal rotational grazing treatments. Four grazing systems were involved, namely a one camp system (continuous grazing), a two camp systems, of which one camp is grazed annual1y during winter and the other during spring, summer and autumn, a two-camp system, of which one camp is grazed annual1y during late winter to late summer and the other from late summer to late winter and a three camp system, of which one camp is grazed annually during spring, one during summer and one during autumn and winter. The vegetation of the different camps was surveyed more or less on a ten-yearly basis. Camps that received no summer rest were in a much poorer condition and had lower animal production than camps that received summer rest. A camp that was grazed only during winter was in the best condition but was over rested and had become moribund. Autumn plus winter grazing seemed to have no bad effects on the grass component, while spring grazing only also led to good veld condition and high animal production. Grazing during mid-winter to mid-summer or mid-summer to mid-winter produced the best results overall in terms of veld condition and animal performance. Depending on grazing treatments, tree numbers increased at different rates in different camps, indicating that bush thickening was a phenomenon which occurred naturally, irrespective of rest or grazing treatments that were involved. The rates of encroachment were determined by the intensity of the grazing treatments that were applied |
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