Response Of Communal Grazing Land To Selected Rangeland Improvement Practices At Lubungo Village In Mvomero District, Tanzania

ABSTRACT

This study consisted of two experiments, (i) Assessment of pasture composition and productivity during dry season, (ii) Assessment of the response of communal grazing land to selected rangeland improvement practices (oversowing, manure application and furrows for rain water spreading) on pasture composition and productivity was conducted at Lubungo village in Mvomero district, Morogoro Tanzania. In study one, data of vegetation ground cover, dry matter yield of pasture and tree density were collected by using tape measure, quadrat and Point centered quarter method respectively in three transect lines. Study two, adopted completely randomized design and the treatments were manure, oversowing and furrrowing. The results showed that the rangeland had low dry matter yield of pasture during the dry season (806.77±29.9 kg DM/ha) due to high tree density of about 1500 trees/ha with total canopy cover of 67.4%. Bare soil patches had high soil seed bank density mainly comprised of annual grasses, few perennial grasses and several undesirable and unedible annual forbs. The assessment of the response of communal grazing land to selected rangeland improvement practices indicated fast growth in plots treated with combination of manure, oversowing and furrowing as rain water spreading, followed by manure and furrowing and thereafter manure alone. High dry matter yield was attained in plots treated with manure, oversowing and furrowing (8.4±0.19 t DM/ha), manure and oversowing (6.4±0.19 t DM/ha), manure and furrowing (5.8±0.19 t DM/ha) and manure alone 5.1±0.19 t DM/ha). Dry matter yield were low in plots treated with furrows and oversowing (3.1±0.19 t DM/ha), furrows (2.8±0.19 t DM/ha), oversowing (2.6±0.19 t DM/ha) and control (2.6±0.19 t DM/ha). It is therefore recommended that, combination of manure and oversowing as well as manure, oversowing and furrowing can be used to improve pasture composition and productivity of the communal grazing land at Lubungo village.