Twenty-five animals that were randomly selected on the basis of sex and
age from among the animals feeding exclusively on communal grazing in
Mogosane village and were used to investigate the mineral (P, Ca and
Mg) status, especially P, based on blood and faecal P and to estimate the
quantity of P they consumed from the pasture they were grazing. The
project was conducted in the same area each month for one year, and no
supplement was given.
Months were blocks and seasonal changes were factors and the animals
were experimental units within a block. Faecal, blood and grass samples
were used as indicators of P, Ca and Mg minerals within experimental
units, and Analysis of Variance was done to determine whether the P
status of native pastures had a significant effect on the total P, Ca and Mg
utilization and movement in and out of the blood and throughout the
faeces during different periods the year. Body mass, condition scores and
rainfall were also recorded during this trial.
When the mineral status was investigated in this trial, it was found that
mineral content in blood and faeces was directly related to the minerals in
the pasture since these indicators were curvilinear increasing from winter
months to spring months peaking in summer months with highly (P<
0.05) significant values when grazing was best and declining as the
grazing became worse during autumn and winter months. The values of
the body condition of the animals increased and declined with the values
of body mass. Blood P concentration was very inconsistent and varied greatly and did not follow the same increasing and decreasing pattern followed by faeces and the grass. This emphasizes the fact that the P
content of blood is not always good indicator of the P status in the
animal.
The mean faecal P concentration during winter was lower with the value
of 1.23 ± 0.13 mg/g, during spring was low with the value of 1.8 ± 0.06
mg/g, during summer was higher with the value of 3.22 ± 0.12 mg/g and
during autumn was high with the value of 1.98 ± 1.04 mg/g.
The mean concentration of P in the grass during winter was lower with
the value of 0.92 ± 0.04 mg/g, during spring was low with the value of
1.16 ± 0.08 mg/g, during summer was higher with the value of 1.68 ±
0.06 mg/g and during autumn was high with the value of 1.22 ± 0.09
mg/g. The seasonal rainfall correlated with the faecal and grass P values vary
much with the value of 0 mm in the winter season, with the value of
26.33 mm in the spring, the value of 90.4 mm during summer and the
value of 44.83 mm during autumn.
Condition scores and body masses had the values of 2.08 units/201.4 Kg
during winter season, had the values of 3.07 units/272.29 Kg in spring
season, had the values of 3.88 units/371 Kg during summer season and
the values of2.75 units/286.65 during autumn season, respectively. / Thesis (M.Sc. (Agric.)) --North-West University (Mafikeng Campus), 2005.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:nwu/oai:dspace.nwu.ac.za:10394/8937 |
| Date | January 2005 |
| Creators | Mokolopi, Baitsholetsi Gloria |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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