In a selection program of fodder nitrogen fixing shrubs and trees it was introduced to Chile by INIA in 1988. It was intended to estimate the kind of sheep edible components and the growth under the conditions of the subhummid Mediterranean interior dryland.
The evaluations were made on a tree, before and after grazing and between them. Each one of the four grazings lasted for not more than four days.
In the Iignified branches, with 7.1 to 8.8mm of basal diameter (Db), the maximium edible diameter (Dc) ranged from 0.8 to 2.6mm (all of them included), equivalent to 10 and 37% of the Db ; however, the Oc of the units intaked by the animal (parcially or totally) was 3; 4.7; 4.1 and 5.8mm from the first to the fourth grazing, respectively.
In shoots with 1.5 to 3.9mm of Db (called A shoots), the Dc ranged from 0.8 to 1.2mm. 80% were totally consumed on the first grazing (Dc =Db =1.5mm), but only 18% on the fourth. (Dc =Db = 3.9 mm).
In thinner shoot (1.0 to 1.8mm of Db), Dc was 0.8 to 1.0mm ; the consumed lenght was equivalent to 53 to 90% of the lenght before grazing. On the second (Dc =Db =1 mm) and fourth grazing (Dc =Db =1.8 mm) 86 and 15% of the total were consumed, respectively.
At autumn beginning (april), the shrub started to grow, new shoots appeared, growing in lenght and thickness, up to the first third of summer (january); later and till the following autumn,few new shoots emerged, however, they grew moderately in lenght and diameter. Shoots semi lignified increased in lenght and thickness from the beginning of autumn up to spring beginning (september), subsequently thier growth declined a lot. The branches grew in lenght and diameter largely between winter to the first half of spring, when lenght growth stopped, noticing only thickness growth.
It is important a more detailed description ofthe edible stems, basal diameter should be considered.
It cannot be generalized saying that branches or shoots up to 5mm diameter are edible |
ChileanJAR
