PLANT FORM SELECTION AND DIETARY OVERLAP OF CATTLE AND GOATS ON A CONTINUOUSLY GRAZED RANGELAND

Abstract

Food-habits data for cattle (bullocks, calves, cows) and goats were obtained from a continuously grazed rangeland located between 1600 and 2000 m elevation in Kumaun Himalayas to provide dietary information under high and low extremes of forage availability. Cattle diet was dominated by grasses (82% of the total diet) in the wet season and dead herbaceous biomass ( 70%) in the dry season, while goat's diet was largely from woody plants and tall forbs (31 to 73 %) in both seasons. Dietary overlap was significantly (p<0.01) greater among cattle (0.72 to 0.95) than between cattle and goats (0.39 to 0.67) in both seasons.