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agricultural production guidelines  veld in kwazulu-natal

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Veld in KwaZulu-Natal 

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Co-ordinated Extension

KwaZulu-Natal Veld 4.3 1999

C R Hurt
ARC - Range and Forage Institute, Cedara

K G T Camp
KwaZulu-Natal Department of Agriculture

Vegetation Structure and Composition
Veld Benchmark
Animal Production

 

INTRODUCTION

The Moist (BRG 3) and Dry (BRG 4) Coast Hinterland Ngongoni Veld lie inland of the Coast Forest, Thorn and Palm Veld, and are characterized by rolling grass-covered hills, interspersed with patches of forest or bush clumps. Elevation ranges between 450 m and 900 m. At lower elevations these BRG’s are intersected by bushed river valleys, while at higher elevations they intrude into the valleys between ridges occupied by other vegetation types. Much of the vegetation in these BRG’s has been replaced by intensive cropping (primarily sugarcane) and large tracts of commercial timber plantations.

The Coast Hinterland Thornveld (BRG 17) is found at the upper margins of river valleys, adjacent to BRG’s 3, 4 and 21, and is a secondary veld dominated by Acacia species which have expanded into the Dry Ngongoni Veld from the valley vegetation. It occurs in the major river valleys between the Thukela River and the Mzimkhulu River.

 

VEGETATION STRUCTURE AND COMPOSITION

The climax vegetation of BRG’s 3 and 4 is probably some form of forest or scrub forest, which was prevented from developing fully by periodic burning and other agricultural practices during recent historic times. As a result, areas of natural veld in these Bioresource Groups are essentially sour grassveld, dominated by Themeda triandra (redgrass) which is rapidly replaced by Aristida junciformis (ngongoni) following poor veld management. The vegetation is a mosaic of bushclumps and forest patches scattered throughout the grassveld, but these generally do not contain many forage-producing species.

Trees that are commonly found in the bush clumps and forests occurring in BRG’s 3 and 4 include the following: Trimeria grandifolia (wild mulberry), Combretum kraussii (forest combretum), Rapanea melanophloeos (Cape beech), Cryptocarya woodii (Cape laurel), Xymalos monospora (lemonwood), Halleria lucida (tree fuschia), Cussonia spicata (cabbage tree), Harpephyllum caffrum (wild plum), Apodytes dimidiata (white pear), Syzygium cordatum (water berry).

The Coast Hinterland Thornveld (BRG 17) is a secondary veld which, before major disturbance occurred, would have been an Acacia wooded grassland and woodland. The dominant vegetation patterns now are wooded grassland, woodland, bushed grassland and bushland thicket. The original woodland was dominated by Acacia sieberana but much of it has been encroached by species such as Acacia karroo, A. nilotica, Ziziphus mucronata, Maytenus heterophylla, Brachylaena elliptica, Erythrina latissima, Cussonia spicata, Aloe candelabrum, Euphorbia ingens, Rhus pentheri, Grewia occidentalis and Ehretia rigida.

 

VELD BENCHMARK

No benchmark has been described for these Bioresource Groups. Grassveld in good condition could be expected to consist of the species whose abundances are presented in Table 1 (bearing in mind that these proportions are estimated, and could change as research provides more information on the vegetation of these BRG’s). In addition, Table 1 presents other grass species which occur in these BRG’s, but are not necessarily found in the benchmark. The species groupings (i.e. Increaser and Decreaser species), and concepts related to this classification, are explained in detail in Production Guidelines 6.1 to 6.3 in this series.

Key grass species have not been determined objectively for the grasslands in these Bioresource Groups, however, the species and weightings presented in Table 2 can be used in the Weighted Key Species method for determining veld condition in both BRG’s (refer to Production Guideline 6.2 in this series for a description of this method).

 

ANIMAL PRODUCTION

Much of the vegetation of the Moist and Dry Ngongoni Veld (BRG’s 3 and 4) has been disturbed and veld condition is generally poor. If extensive tracts of veld in good condition could be found and maintained (which is difficult in this vegetation type), a high potential for beef production exists. In its present state however, the potential, without some form of intensification, is extremely low. Mutton sheep enter-prises and dairying fall into the same category, and sheep, in particular, are prone to disease and management problems. Goat production potential is generally low, mainly because the bush clumps do not contain a significant proportion of palatable browse plants. It must be remembered that the vegetation is a sourveld, and thus winter supplementation of grazing is essential to maintain livestock in good condition. In general it may be said that the natural resources of Bioresource Groups 3 and 4 are not well suited to livestock production under extensive conditions.

The quality of veld in the Coast Hinterland Thornveld (BRG 17) is poor and the grazing capacity is at best 3.0 ha per AU. The bush encroachment problem reduces grass production but does offer the alternative of running goats. Management of these animals must be efficient to ensure success and to prevent a further deterioration of the veld. Theft has been a major deterrent to prospective goat farmers.

 

VELD MANAGEMENT NORMS AND GENERAL INFORMATION FOR BRG’s 3, 4 & 17: MOIST AND DRY COAST HINTERLAND NGONGONI VELD AND COAST HINTERLAND THORNVELD

		BRG 3	BRG 4	BRG 17
Total area (1 000 ha) Area of veld (1 000 ha) Potential grazing capacity (ha/AU) Current grazing capacity (ha/AU) Grazing season (days) Grazing cycle (days) Period of stay (days) Period of absence (days) AU grazing days per hectare Expected intake (kg/AU/annum) Livestock production potential (kg livemass per ha/annum) Excellent condition veld (90%) Moderate condition veld (60%) Poor condition veld (30%)		476 45 1.5 2.5 250 30 10 20 134 2 500   83 55 28	217 21 1.7 2.8 250 30 10 20 119 2 500   64 43 21	114 80 1.8 3.0 275 63 21 42 123 2 750   56 37 19
Rested area	Each camp should be rested once every four years
Winter grazing	Licks are required when grazing rested veld in winter
Animal types	Cattle (high potential); Sheep (low potential); Goats (low potential - BRG’s 3 & 4, moderate potential - BRG 17)
Burning	Burn to remove moribund and excess herbage; control bush canopy

1 In areas where stocking rates are higher than those given for potential grazing capacity, the livestock production potential will not be achieved. This is particularly so where continuous grazing is practiced.

2 Current grazing capacity is based on the average condition of veld in the BRG as estimated in 1997.

3 Animal Unit (AU) grazing days per hectare are based on the estimated average CGC of the BRG.

4 Livestock production potential refers to the expected amount of live mass (kg) gain per hectare using a beef weaner production system (see the example of such a system in Production Guideline 2.6).

 

Table 1. Benchmark species abundances and species not occurring in the benchmark for grassland in the Moist (BRG 3) and Dry (BRG 4) Coast Hinterland Ngongoni Veld and the Coast Hinterland Thornveld (BRG 17).

Scientific name	Common name	Relative abundance (%)
		BRG 3	BRG 4	BRG 17
Increaser Ib Cymbopogon validus Miscanthus capensis Panicum aequinerve	Giant turpentine grass East-coast broomgrass Forest panic	1
Increaser Ia Alloteropsis semialata Bothriochloa bladhii Cymbopogon excavatus Digitaria diagonalis Digitaria natalensis Eulalia villosa Hyparrhenia filipendula Trachypogon spicatus Tristachya leucothrix	Blackseed grass   Common turpentine grass Brownseed finger grass Coast finger grass Golden velvetgrass Fine thatchgrass Giant speargrass Tridentgrass	1 1 2     3 10	1 1 1 2   1 2 10	1 1       1   8
Decreaser Andropogon appendiculatus Andropogon schirensis Bracharia serrata Digitaria eriantha Diheteropogon amplectens Melinis nerviglumis Monocymbium ceresiiforme Themeda triandra	l Bluegrass   Velvet signalgrass Common fingergrass Broadleaved bluestem   Wild oatgrass Redgrass, rooigras	1 1         2 40	1 1 2 4       42	2 3   1   44
Increaser IIa Eragrostis capensis Harpochloa falx Heteropogon contortus	Heartseed lovegrass Catterpillar grass Speargrass	2   10	2   5	3   4
Increaser IIb Bothriochloa insculpta Eragrostis chloromelas Eragrostis curvula Eragrostis plana Eragrostis racemosa Eragrostis superba Hyparrhenia hirta Loudetia simplex Setaria sphacelata Sporobolus africanus Sporobolus fimbriatus Sporobolus pyramidalis	Pinhole grass Weeping lovegrass Fan lovegrass Narrow-heart lovegrass Common thatchgrass Russet grass Golden setaria Ratstail dropseed Bushveld dropseed Catstail dropseed	2 2 3   5     1   1	1   1 1 2   5     1   1	2 2 1   3 1 6     1 2 1
Increaser IIc Aristida barbicollis Microchloa caffra Paspalum scrobiculatum Perotis patens Forbs Sedges	Pincushion grass Veld paspalum Catstail	4 1	5 3	1     1 5 4
Increaser III Aristida junciformis Diheteropogon filifolius Elionurus muticus	Ngongoni Wire bluestem Wire lemongrass	5 2	5	2

 

Table 2. Proposed key grass species and species weightings for grassland in Bioresource Groups 3, 4 and 17.

Scientific name	Common name	Species weighting
Aristida junciformis Sporobolus pyramidalis Eragrostis curvula Eragrostis plana Heteropogon contortus Themeda triandra Tristachya leucothrix	Ngongoni Catstail dropseed Weeping lovegrass Fan lovegrass Speargrass Redgrass, rooigras Tridentgrass	1 2 3 3 5 9 10

 

 

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