Screening of potential indigenous browse species in semi-arid central Tanzania: A case of Gairo division

摘要

ThepotentialindigenousbrowsespeciesatGairoDivisionincentralsemiaridTanzaniawerescreenedbyusinglocalgoats,livestockkeeper'sindigenousknowledgeandlaboratoryanalysisoftheirnutritivevalue.Screeningcoveredthreegrazingsites.Thesiteswere;bushlands,two-yearfallowlandsandseasonalsandriverbanks.Localgoatswerefollowedinthegrazingsitestoseewhattheybrowsed.Samplesofthebrowsedshrubsandtreesspecieswerecollectedingunnybagsandthenshowntolocallivestockkeepersandrequestedtogivetheirindigenousknowledgeonthesebrowsespeciesandthenrankthemaccordingtotheirimportanceaslivestockfeed.Thetoptenrankedbrowsespecieswereusedforacceptabilitytestwithlocalgoatssoastocomparetherankingoflivestockkeepersandlivestockpreference.Crudeprotein(CP)andin-vitrodrymatterdigestibility(IVDMD)ofthetoptenrankedbrowsespecieswerealsodetermined.Atotalof26browseplantswereobservedbeingbrowsedbygoatsbutlocallivestockkeepersidentifiedonly24aspotentialbrowsespecies.Mostofthebrowseplantshadseveralotheruses.Somehowtherankingofthebrowsespeciesbylivestockkeeperswasclosetothepreferencebylocalgoats.AlbiziapetersianahadthehighestintakeratefollowedbyGrewiabicolorandtheleastwasLanneatomentosa(13.2,11.2and3.6gDM/min.,respectively).Thecrudeproteincontentrangedfrom12.6%inLanneatomentosato28.1%inAcaciapolyacantha.MaeruatrychophyllahadthehighestdigestibilityfollowedbyLanneaschweinfurthii(64.4and61.3%,respectively).Itwasconcludedthatinordertoidentifytherightindigenousbrowseplantsforconservation;thebrowsinganimals,locallivestockkeepers'indigenousknowledgeandlaboratoryanalysisofthenutritivevaluemustbeincludedinthescreeningwork.