Evaluation of dry season diversity and stocking rate of Guyaku Grazing Reserve, Adamawa State- Nigeria

Abstract

An evaluation of dry season diversity and stocking rate of Guyaku Grazing Reserve in Gombi Adamawa State Nigeria was conducted from November to Marchss. Dry season diversity of herbaceous and woody plant species was determined using the Shannon Diversity Index Model. Stocking rate was estimated using the ratio of 60% of forage yield to animal requirement for a given period. Results showed that the reserve  comprises of diverse herbaceous and woody plant spices with Shannon Diversity Index value of 2 200 and 3 129 for the herbaceous and woody plant species respectively. The mean yield of forage was 1 085 kg DM/ha and the estimated stocking rate was 0.5/TLU/ha/210 days. It was recommended that the range should not be stocked with more than 0.5/TLU/ha/ 210 days around the periods of November to May and controlled grazing plan for the reserve be abided by so as to improve cattle production in the region. Fodder bank development and fodder bank conservation are also highly recommended.

Keywords: Diversity, Grazing reserve, stocking rate