Effect of Clipping Heights on Rangeland Yield, Productivity, Carrying Capacity and Utilization Check A Case study from the tropical savanna grassland, South Darfur, Sudan

Abstract

A plot of one fed an (4200 m2 ), in a ranching system of the Southern Darfur savanna grassland – Gazala Gawazat, Animal and Range Research Station, was selected and fenced for artificial grazing experiment for a couple of seasons . The total forage mean yield (Kg/ha) at three different clipping heights (5cm, 15cm and 35cm) varied significantly (P < 0.05). The clipping,(harvesting) at a height of 5cm level produced a better harvest yield of forage for maintaining grazing animals at a certain grazing management system when applied. Higher forage yield (1588.68Kg/ha) and carrying capacity (211.82 AU/ha/d) for 5cm clipping height then followed by the 15 cm clipping height in terms of forage yield (641.18 Kg/ha) and carrying capacity (85.84 AU/ha/d).Based on the argument that cattle consumes about 2.5 Kgs DM /day/100Kg L.wt. On the other hand, 35 cm clipping height produced lower yield (488.56Kg/ha) and low carrying capacity (81.41 AU/ha/d), revealing that smaller number of grazing animals can be allowed to graze for shorter period. On average seasonal basis, season 2019 was much better than grazing season 2018 on 5cm clipping height in terms of forage yield (414.99Kg/ha & 390.17 Kg/ha ) respectively . As such, continual harvest with particular management system, gives more chance offered for grasses to regenerate vigorously to increase the total forage (harvest) yield, with the optimum allocation of grazing animals to utilize the range site. Accordingly, more animal’s units accommodated per unit area of that type of management.