INFLUENCE OF LIGNEOUS PLANTS ON THE FEEDING BEHAVIOR OF ZEBU GOBRA IN THE AGROPASTORAL AREA OF THE GROUNDNUT BASIN

An experimental study on the feeding behavior of cattle in the real world was conducted in an agro-pastoral farm practicing the extensive system associating cultivation of millet and the management of cattle on a natural range. Do they go together even if the farm practices the extensive system? The collection and sorting done on the diet allowed to determine its composition as well as the influence of the seasons on the variation of the diet. It has been shown that this diet consists mainly of spontaneous grasses (gramineous, leguminous), millet straw, ligneous and plant debris. The average daily intake is 4.87 ? 0.96 kg DM per UBT (Tropical Livestock Unit). In addition, the presence of woody foods in the diet is a factor in maintaining their intake at an acceptable level despite the decrease in herbaceous resources. In fact, there is a positive correlation between the quantity ingested and the rate of incorporation of ligneous plants in the diet r = 0.38 (p-value <0.001) despite the winter season when the absence of ligneous plants in the cattle diet is justified by the abundance of more accessible green herbs. Finally, chemical analyses showed the nutritional values of some of the most appetized woody species in the area.