Preliminary results on species selection by animals on sour grassveld

Abstract A study of species selection by cattle under a system of controlled selective grazing using wheel‐point surveys and fistulated animals has demonstrated that both techniques provide valuable information on the preference shown for such species as Andropogon amplectens, Eulalia villosa, Themeda triandra, Trachypogon spicatus, Tristachya hispida and Monocymbium ceresiiforme. The wheel‐point survey, which presents information on the degree of utilization of different species over the entire grazing period, is complemented by the more detailed information obtained by identifying grass species from oesophageal fistula samples obtained at specific times within the grazing period. Preference for species does not appear to be markedly affected by their relative contribution to basal cover, but apparently is subject to seasonal variations.