Selección de Herbáceas por ovinos en pastoreo continuo en sabanas bien drenadas de Venezuela

In order to determine the botanical selection of herbaceous stratum by ovine in continuos grazing, an investigation was conducted in Venezuelas’s well drained savannas. Animal resource was conformed by eight weaned lambs (35, 09 ± 2,5 kg body weight) were grazing in one paddock of 20 ha during four weeks, during the transitional dry-rainy season. The relative frequency and density of botanical species were determined. The botanical composition in feces was determined by microhistologycal analysis, in samples of feces weekly in each lamb. The relative frequencies of the botanical species identified in feces were analyzed by Kruskal-Wallis test, as a completely randomized design. In the floral inventory, the relative density showed a higher numerical participation of Trachypogon vestitus Andersson (19,58 %) and Trachypogon plumosus Nees (16,74 %), and the relative frequencies was 9,29 % for Trachypogon vestitus Andersson and Trachypogon plumosus Nees. The botanical composition had the highest frequency of legumes in ovine feces, with Desmodium spp. (38,03 %) and Mimosa albida Willd (15,79 %) as predominant species, both representing more than a half of species present in feces. It can be concluded that ovine have higher preference by forage species leguminous, including more than the half of the species presents in feces samples. This information give keys the suitable management of native species in Venezuela’s well drained when is being grazed by ovine.