Use of Braun-Blanquet for the assessment of veld condition and grazing capacity in grassland

Abstract

Braun-Blanquet vegetation surveys are easier and quicker to undertake than point surveys. This paper reports on assessment of veld condition and calculation of grazing capacity of five plant communities of the Ea land type of the northeastern Orange Free State using Braun-Blanquet data. Veld condition scores were obtained by substituting Braun-Blanquet cover-abundance values for point cover values as required by the ecological index method. Grazing capacity was calculated using published procedures. Results indicated that grazing capacities (0.2-0.3 LSU ha^-1, mean = 0.2) fall into the range of current recommendations, and that the condition of the five communities can be classified as fair. This method shows promise for application in the grassland biome for the assessment of veld condition and the estimation of grazing capacity.

Keywords: botany; braun-blanquet; ea land type; ecological index method; grassland; grazing capacity; orange free state; south africa; technique; vegetation surveys; veld condition; veld condition score

African Journal of Range & Forage Science, Vol. 10(1), pp. 41-46