Chapter 7.

Improvement and Management of Natural Pasture

7.1. Selection of Improvement Techniques

• Selection of most suitable pasture species involves identification

of grasses & legumes with following desirable characteristics:

 Species adapted to climate & soil & suitable for grazing /for cut-

&-carry

 highly productive & persistent grass /legume

 grass /legume provide good soil cover & easily compete with weed
 palatable (desirable to livestock)

 high nutritive value (energy & protein and have no

toxic substances)

 easy to establish from seed /vegetative

propagation

 early & heavy seeder

Practical methods of improving natural pastures
Fencing
• Excluding non-farm animals’ access to pastures

• Controlling grazing
• Allowing for paddocks hence rotational grazing
• Helping farmer to implement pasture improvement techniques

• Protection of fodder banks

Fencing posts & barbed wire
• quite expensive, in terms of cost & erection

• cannot be transported easily

• Bush poles are cheaper but are attacked by termites & need
frequent replacement
• Treating poles with engine oil reduces termite attack &
reduces rate of damage
• Treated posts, if affordable, with barbed wire make a durable
fence
Live hedges
• cheaper & last for a long time
• well established keep intruders away

• maintenance costs, in terms of trimming, may be high

• Suitable tree species like Ficus spp. used as live fence posts b/c
they root & require no frequent replacement
• Trees for live hedges include Euphorbia tirucalli, E. candelabrum &
Erythrina abyssinica
Bush and weed control
• Bushes & weeds reduce grass productivity

• Food reserves in root systems are exhausted by frequent

uprooting & slashing, leading to their stunted growth &
eventually death
• useful tools for bush & weed control are Hoes, pangas /slashers

• Hoe is a good tool b/c its action on the soil ensures sustainable
soil management
• Uprooting & slashing should be done before plants begin to shed
seed
Provision of water

• water should be evenly distributed on farm to avoid overgrazing & soil erosion

around watering point

• In areas with water shortage, harvesting rainwater .

Soil conservation

• causes of soil erosion are rain, wind & overgrazing

• This can be corrected by:

 Planting stoloniferous grasses like star /Kikuyu grass

 use of dry grass /tree branches put over the affected places

• Construction of bunds along contour lines to control water run-off

• Construction of terraces & planting them with fodder grasses/legumes

Over sowing/Reseeding
• Is introduction of improved pasture species of grasses/legumes to a
natural pasture as a method of improving natural pastures
• requires minimum cultivation & little /no use of fertilizer

•  increases forage quality and productivity of natural pastures

• simplest & cost efficient Pasture development strategy
• most suitable are legumes

• Grasses have poor germination & are slow to establish on

compacted soils
• Over sowing should be promoted in areas where:

 Soils are poor & where a higher cost system of pasture improvement
cannot be justified

• Soils are light & loose

• Pastures lack good legume content

Advantages of over sowing are:

• Very low cost for land preparation & seed purchase

• Requires less seed & little labour

• Needs minimal management

• Improves forage production

• Maintains/increases soil fertility & reduces dangers of soil erosion

Methods of over sowing

 Broadcasting

 spreading seeds over area that is to be improved

 Before broadcasting seed, pasture in area should be grazed “hard”

to reduce competition due to existing pasture as new seeds

germinate

 A low legume seed rate of 1 kg/ha is recommended

 Strip sowing

 Is digging & planting seeds along narrow strips 1 m wide,

across area that needs to be improved

 area should be “hard” grazed before sowing as above

 strips can be 3 m apart & seeds can be sown on the strips

 A seed rate of 2 to 3 kg/ha is recommended

 over sown species will eventually spread to the rest of pasture

 legume component in pasture increases gradually & will be

very evident by the end of the second year

7.2. Advantage of Pasture Improvement

• Pastures & fodder crops are cheapest form of animal feed

available (quantity and quality)

• A constant supply of good quality forage in sufficient quantities

is a basic in livestock farming

• Pastures & fodder, leguminous types, improve soil fertility

through their ability to fix nitrogen

• planted pastures help control soil erosion

• Pasture seed production & sale excess fodder is source of income

7.3. Management of improved natural & permanent pastures

• reason for improving natural pastures/establishing

permanent pastures is to provide feed of good quality for

livestock through out the year

•  Therefore, good pasture management should include

controlled use (grazing/cutting) & conservation strategies

• needs of livestock & plants, particularly legumes, and the

soil must be taken into consideration

Early grazing
• Grazing should not be allowed until grasses & legumes are
well established & have developed a strong root system
• Uncontrolled early grazing may lead to plants being pulled
out of soil & soil may be compacted by livestock
• First light grazing is done 2-3 months after seed has
germinated
• Light grazing allows grass to develop more shoots (tillering)
so that legumes are not shaded by grass & grow well
Efficient use of pasture

stocking rate - refers to how many animals are allowed into a given area of
pasture & at any given time

• SR should be flexible such that number of animals kept are increased

/lowered to match pasture availability

• High quality grass/legume pasture should not be allowed to become too

mature

• Grazing should not be lower than 20 to 30 cm high

• Conservation (hay/silage) of excess pasture produced during growing

period

• purchase of feed /sale of animals, will all lead to efficient use of pastures.
Plant vigour and species balance

• In grass/legume pastures, legume component is most vulnerable

• grass & legume components should be kept in balance

Legumes

• fix nitrogen in soil & provide protein to animals

• slow growing, intolerant of shade & greatly liked by grazing animals

• grasses & legumes in pasture should be allowed to flower & produce

seed as much as possible

• Whenever grass seems overgrown, grazing pressure should be

increased to protect legumes from the shading effect of grasses

Weeding

• pasture should be kept weed-free.

• Weeds weaken plants until they are eliminated

• Some weeds:- Lantana camara, Solanum incanum & Phytolaca

dodecandra are poisonous

• Weed control using panga & hoe (cheapest option for most
farmers)

• Continuous cutting & digging out roots of weeds will reduce their
population
Paddocking

 Paddock construction is subdividing of pasture area into portions

 recommended paddock size is 2.5 acres but this can be varied depending on land

available & number of animals

 Paddocking enables rotational grazing

 It is possible to limit use of pastures to specific periods & particular animals

• Rotational grazing ensures pasture re-growth & helps to maintain /improve condition

of pasture

 Graze paddock for a period of 1 to 2 wks followed by a 4 to 8 week of rest period

 will result in optimum production of pasture & force a break life cycle of most

internal parasites that may be present.

 grazing & resting periods should be flexible depending on weather conditions

 QUIZ
1. What is paddock? List advantage of paddock
2. List characteristics should be considered during
Selection of most suitable pasture species?
3. List advantage of pasture improvement?
4. Write practical method of improving pasture?
5. What are the impact of early grazing on growing
pasture?