Abstract
The aim of this study was to evaluate the feeding behaviour of indigenous goats and the selection drivers of different plant species in a Mediterranean forest rangeland. To achieve this goal, the seasonal variations in terms of forage availability and quality of ingested plant species were studied during three grazing seasons. In the same period, eight indigenous goats of Beni Arouss breed were selected to explore the seasonal changes in their browsing behaviour. Forage quality was determined by the hand-plucking technique. The results showed a wide seasonal variation in forage availability and quality, and feeding behaviour. Woody species were more selected independently of the season (p < 0.001). The crude protein content varied from 53.3 g/kg of dry mater (DM) for Erica arborea in summer to 197 g/kg DM for Calicotome villosa in autumn (p < 0.001). Despite the high condensed tannins content in selected shrubs, they were highly consumed. In vitro organic matter digestibility (IVOMD) and metabolizable energy (ME) had recorded the highest contents in herbaceous during spring. Shrubs and trees contain the lowest levels of IVOMD (<500 g/kg) and ME (<7.2 MJ/kg) during autumn and summer. It is concluded that seasonal changes in forage availability and quality did not necessarily affect the indigenous goats’ preference. These findings could help goat herders to develop feeding and grazing systems while increasing the performance of goats in the Mediterranean silvopastoral system.
Highlights
Silvopastoral systems are an important component of extensive goat production in the Mediterranean region
The study revealed that shrubs, mainly A. unedo, Cistus spp., and E. arborea, formed the most available and prevalent forage species in the study area, which is in accordance with several authors [19,25], who studied the botanical composition of forest rangeland in Northern Morocco
In the Mediterranean forests of Northern Morocco, Chebli et al [19] confirmed the strong seasonality of forage availability even for woody species that are usually less impacted by seasonal fluctuations
Summary
Silvopastoral systems are an important component of extensive goat production in the Mediterranean region. In Morocco, these forest rangelands guarantee year-round feed resources for grazing goats. They provide 80% of diet requirements of grazing animals in mountainous areas (High Atlas and Northern Morocco). Four million heads of goats (i.e., approximately 70% of the national herd) graze on forest pasturelands [1]. The silvopastoral system contributes between 68% and 100% of the incomes of farmers, playing an essential socio-economic role [2]. In Northern Morocco, there is one indigenous goat breed named Beni Arouss, which was only recently officially recognized by the Moroccan Ministry of Agriculture and Rural
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