Forage production of some grass species in the false Thornveld of the Eastern Cape

Abstract

The most commonly occurring grass species in the False Thornveld (Acocks, 1953; veld type no. 21) were clipped before and after grazing on veld in good and poor condition at different times of the year. Herbage yield per species was expressed per unit basal tuft area, and the difference in yield before and after grazing was considered to reflect the production of available forage. Themeda triandra produced more forage than any other species at all times of the year. Sporobolus fimbriatus generally produced the second highest amount of available forage. Cymbopogon plurinodis, despite having the second highest herbage yield before grazing, was not grazed to a significant extent. On the basis of the results, Themeda triandra and Sporobolus fimbriatus were identified as key grass species in the False Thornveld of the Eastern Cape.