NEWS
season respectively . This suggests that this woody encroacher plant has the potential to be used as a forage resource by farmers .
Bodyweight maintained on bankrupt bush
Preliminary results from researcher and PhD candidate Motswapo Phoko , from the same department at the ARC , are very promising . She formulated diets for Nguni steers using various inclusion levels of bankrupt bush . The results indicate no significant differences in body weight and body condition score for the feeds including various levels of bankrupt bush and the control ( commercial diet ). On average , the experimental animals ( Nguni steers ) gained 0.96 kg / day for the duration of the trial , which took place over 90 days . This shows the potential use of bankrupt bush as feed for ruminants .
There has also been other research work on the use of Vachellia species ( formerly known as Acacia ) as a non-conventional feed resource to improve meat quality traits , growth rate and body weight . A study by Idamokoro et al . ( 2016 ), for instance , showed that a V . karroo supplementation improved growth and meat quality in goats .
Effective management
A number of interacting brush control methods are required to deal with the increasing rate and extent of bush encroachment .
The choice of a particular method will depend on a number of factors , including labour , cost and return on investment .
The potential is also there to use encroaching woody species for additional fodder , particularly in resource-poor farming areas and during the drier months of the year when forage availability is limited .
To this end , I suggest that farmers and landowners consider methods that are environmentally friendly and , most importantly contribute to closing the feed gaps .
For further details and collaboration with the ARC ’ s animal production , range and forage sciences department , contact Dr Tlou Julius Tjelele at jtjelele @ arc . agric . za .
Figure 2 : A growing encroachment problem : A grazing area taken over by bankrupt bush . Photo : Supplied / Food for Mzanzi .
27 Grassroots Vol 21 No 3 November 2021