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EVALUATION OF MACRO-MINERAL CONCENTRATIONS OF FORAGES IN RELATION TO RUMINANTS REQUIREMENTS: A CASE STUDY IN SOONE VALLEY, PUNJAB, PAKISTAN

KAFEEL AHMAD¹, MUHAMMAD ASHRAF², ZAFAR I. KHAN¹ AND EHSAN ELAHI VALEEM^3*

Abstract: This manuscript reports the essential macro-mineral composition of different plant species in the Soone Valley located in the Salt Range within the province of Punjab, Pakistan. The climate of this Range is characterized by a relatively low annual rainfall (508 mm) and temperature varying from 1° C to 36° C in winter and summer, respectively. Hot dry winds and prolonged periods of drought are frequent in the Range. Grazing animals were followed and forage plants consumed by the livestock, were collected during the study period in the year 2004. The forage plants consisted of legumes and grasses. Different plant parts such as leaves, leaflets and pods, which were lavishly grazed by the grazing animals were separated and analyzed for macro-minerals, Na, P, K, Ca and Mg. On the basis of observations it can be concluded that most of the forage samples were sufficient in Na, P, K, Ca and Mg for the requirements of ruminants grazing therein. Comparatively, the macro-mineral concentrations in pods were higher than those found in the leaves and leaflets showing no need of mineral supplementation. However, it seems most interesting to elucidate the phenomenon of antagonism among minerals, which may adversely affect the availability of minerals in the bodies of animals.
 

¹Department of Biological Sciences, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Pakistan.

²Department of Botany, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan.

³Department of Botany, Govt. Degree Sci.  & Com. College Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Block VII, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Karachi-75300, Pakistan.