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FORAGE EVALUATION FOR SOME TRACE ELEMENTS: A CASE STUDY IN THE SOONE VALLEY, PAKISTAN

KAFEEL AHMAD¹, ZAFAR IQBAL KHAN¹, MUHAMMAD YASIN ASHRAF², MUHAMMAD ASHRAF³ AND EHSAN ELAHI VALEEM⁴

Abstract: A survey was conducted in the soone valley in the north-west of the Punjab Province of Pakistan to assess the concentrations of some essential minerals during the period of whole year in forages for livestock grazing therein. Samples of dominant species of forage plants were taken, which consisted chiefly of legumes, after following the animals. The samples were analysed for Cu, Mn, Fe and Zn. Micro mineral concentrations in the forages for Mn ranged between 3.92-5.09 and 5.90-6.83; Zn; 0.027-0.076 and 0.028- 0.064, Fe; 20.72-25.43 and 25.35-32.94, Cu; 0.38-0.54 and 0.34-0.51 mg g-1 in the leaves and pods, respectively. The forage species had varying mineral composition in both leaves and pods. The plants showed significant differences for Zn and Mn contents of leaves and non-significant differences for pods, while Fe exhibited non-significant difference for the plant parts. Based on investigation recorded for Mn, Zn, and Fe contents, it was concluded that the forage plant species studied were found to be palatable and had much higher concentrations of those elements required for the needs of grazing livestock in that specific range and warranted no urgent need of supplementation. The results of the present investigation provide information of reasonable amounts of Mn, Fe, Zn and Cu in forages, which seems to be considerably high. Further investigations for the determination and prevention of toxicosis, if any of these trace elements on animals of the range are urgently needed.

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

²Nuclear Institute for Agriculture and Biology, Faisalabad, Pakistan.

.³Department of Botany, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad-38040, Pakistan.

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

*Corresponding author: valeem786@hotmail.com