Influence of rainfall and grazing on the compositional change of the herbaceous layer of a sandveld savanna.

Abstract

The influence of heavy grazing by cattle for three years, and of rainfall interception for one year, on the herbaceous composition of a sandveld savanna in Gazankulu was investigated. The composition and the abundance of the predominant species changed substantially, owing mainly to rainfall. Illustrates with tables and graphsLanguage: English

Keywords: Communal grazing; Grazing intensity; Mortality; Relative biomass; Sites; Sward structure changes; Treatments; Tuft size changes; Tuft sizes; cattle; digitaria eriantha; forbs; grazing; tuft size; herbaceous layer; composition; recruitment; herbaceous composition; sandveld; gazankulu; abundance; pogonarthria squarrosa; mortalities; growth; aristida congesta; indigofera cosata; cassia absus; south africa