Investigation of Forage Quality in Preferred Species by Camels in Aran and Bidgol Desert Rangelands, Kashan, Iran

Abstract

Camel's grazing in dry areas is of great importance so that in accordance with the nutritional value of the available forage for the livestock, damage to rangelands could be prevented. The objective of this study was to identify and to determine the quality of the most preferred forage species using camels in Aran and Bidgol desert rangelands, Iran. Grazing behavior of camels and their calves were observed during dry and wet seasons for a period of 84 days (August to November). The forage species were ranked based on the camels bite count. The most browsed forage was identified through observation, then they were sampled for identification of the local and scientific names. The forage quality parameters such as Crude Protein (CP), Ether Extract (EE), Calcium (Ca), Phosphorus (P), Neutral Detergent Fibre (NDF), Acid Detergent Fibre (ADF), Acid Detergent Lignin (ADL) and Dry matter digestibility (DMD) were determined in the laboratory. The most browsed forage species involving Smirnovia iranica, Astragalus squarrosus, Nitraria schoberi, Haloxylon persicum, Seidlitzi rosmarinous in the wet season and Stipa barbata, Artemisia sieberi, Zygophyllum eichwaldii, Stipagrostis plumosa, Alhaji persarum were observed in the dry season. For CP, the highest values of 25.7 and 17.9% were obtained in Stipagrostis plumose and Astragalus squarrosus, respectively, and for DMD%, the highest values of 72.0, 81.6 and 76.6 were obtained in Artemisia sieberi (leaves), Stipa plumose and Haloxylon persicum, respectively. The results of this study showed that forage quality in the wet season was much higher than dry season and camels fed on different types of forage species; the forage nutritive values could affect their selection.