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ASSESSMENT OF SELENIUM CONTENT IN PASTURE AND EWES IN PUNJAB, PAKISTAN

ZAFAR IQBAL KHAN¹*, MUHAMMAD ASHRAF², MUHAMMAD DANISH³, KAFEEL AHMAD¹ AND EHSAN ELAHI VALEEM⁴

Abstract: The current research was carried out at Rakh Khaire Wala, Punjab, Pakistan. The most developed station for sheep farming. The aim of the study was to determine and collect data on selenium contents of soil, forages along with blood plasma and milk so as to gain information on the deficiency and/or excess of selenium levels for ruminants grazing therein. The livestock farm was visited eight times during the study year so as to determine the effect of sampling periods on the selenium contents of various samples. The mean Se concentrations of soil, forage, plasma, and milk sampled in the study were: 0.041 and 0.035 mg/kg for soil and forages and 0.036, 0.0054 mg/L for plasma and milk, respectively. These values are considered to be indicative of inadequate but point to the dietary supplementation. Based on the results of this study, it is recommended that in this animal pasture, it is necessary to monitor the Se in animals so as to maintain adequate nutrition for achieving vigorous ewes.

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

²Department of Botany, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad-38040, Pakistan.

³Department of Chemistry, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Pakistan

⁴Department of Botany, Govt. Degree Sci. & Com. College Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Block VII, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Karachi-75300, Pakistan.

*Corresponding author: drzafar10@hotmail.com