Grazing Behavior of Sheep in the Native Rangelands of Jordan

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1 Grazing Behavior of Sheep in the Native Rangelands of Jordan Dr. Raed Al Tabini Khalid Al Khalidi Dr. Mustafa Shudeifat Royal Botanic Garden 1st Annual Scientific Day

2 Objectives Evaluate grazing behavior of sheep Evaluate the effect of season of grazing (winter, spring, summer and fall) on the productivity and sustainability of vegetation cover and plant diversity. Demonstrate to the local community that perennial shrubs and grasses are palatable. Suggest sound management.

3 Hordium murinum Erodium gruinum Methods Salsola-vermiculata Ephedra aphylla The study was conducted at the Royal Botanical Garden located 30 km north of Amman, Jordan near Tell Ar- Rumman (32 10'57" N, 35 49'38" E). Common palatable forage species are Poa bulbosa L., Hordium spp., Avena sterilis L., Erodium gruinum (L.) L'Hér. ex Aiton, Salsola vermiculata L., and Ephedra aphylla Forssk.

4 Methods Twenty-five Awassi ewes were placed in 0.1 ha paddocks for 2.5 hours each day for 3 consecutive days and observed. Sheep grazed and were observed in 3 paddocks during each of four seasons: winter, spring, summer and fall. Every minute, observers classified the activity of the focal sheep into 1 of 6 categories: 1) grazing, 2) browsing 3) chewing 4) ruminating 5) standing, and 6) resting.

5 Methods Methods Each season was analyzed separately. The 3 days of observation in a paddock were averaged together, and the paddock was considered a blocking factor. Correspondingly, there were 15 experimental units (5 periods / paddock, 3 paddocks / season) for this analysis.

6 Results The time that sheep spent in grazing grasses, browsing shrubs, chewing, standing and ruminating was not equal (P < 0.05) during each of the 4 seasons. When averaged over the entire study, sheep spent 54% of their time grazing grasses, 6% of the time browsing shrubs, and 12% of their chewing forage after prehension.

7 Percentage of Time Spent by Awassi Ewes on Different Activities Activity Experiment days Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Grazing 52 a 54 a 55 a Browsing 5 b 8 c 5 b Chewing 11 c 13 c 12 c Rumination 11 c 8 c 8 c Standing 18 d 20 d 20 d Resting 3 b 1 b 1 b

8 Results Non-foraging activities, standing and ruminating occurred 20% and 12% of the time, respectively. Even though shrubs made up roughly 1/3 of the total biomass in the study site, sheep spent only a small fraction of their time browsing. Sheep reduced (P < 0.05) the time spent grazing during the 2.5 hour observation period in all seasons.

9 Seasonal Variation yyyy

10 Seasonal Variation

11 Management Implications The clear preference of sheep for herbaceous forages in this study suggests that rangeland reclamation efforts in Jordan should not focus entirely on planting and establishing shrubs. Palatable perennial grasses and shrubs should be considered in restoration efforts. In areas with greater than 100 mm of precipitation, drought-tolerant perennial grasses may be an option for seeding.

12 Management Implications Successful community-based grazing management training and demonstration may convince local herders to cooperate in developing and implementing plans to better utilize rangeland areas. The best time for grazing is during the morning.

13 Management Implications Timing of grazing is crucial. Fall grazing, just before the winter starts, is an ideal time to graze, because forages will be able to recover soon after grazing ends and the winter rains begin. Within 1-3 hours, sheep can graze and browse sufficient forage to fill their rumen (stomach). Grazing time is affected by many factors, including environmental conditions, plant species, feed quantity and quality. Sheep can graze short plants and bite more close to the ground.

14 Outcomes Grazing is in favour of plant biodiversity Fall grazing is the best season Morning grazing is preferred Perennial grasses are highly palatable

15 Recommendations Further studies on perennial grasses Cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture for the time of grazing