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AVAILABILITY OF NUTRITIONAL MINERALS (COBALT, COPPER, IRON, MANGANESE AND ZINC) IN PASTURES OF CENTRAL PUNJAB FOR FARM LIVESTOCK

ZAFAR IQBAL KHAN ¹*, MUHAMMAD ASHRAF², NAZIR AHMAD³, KAFEEL AHMAD¹ AND EHSAN ELAHI VALEEM⁴*

Abstract: Effects of sampling frequencies on mineral status of Trifollium pastures in central Punjab, Sargodha at the livestock station Khizarabad were studied in relation to cattle requirement. Forages were analysed for copper (Cu), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), and znic (Zn), and cobalt (Co). Forage Co and Cu concentrations were low and deficient in relation to cattle requirements grazing therein for most of the sampling periods. In relation to cattle requirement, the majority of forages were deficient in Co, Cu and Zn. Based on the results of this study it can be concluded that the mineral supplementation on this ranch is strongly encouraged.

¹Department of Biological Sciences, University of Sargodha, Sargodha-40100, Pakistan.

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

³Department of Chemistry, University of Sargodha, Sargodha-40100, Pakistan.

⁴Public Private Partnership Unit (PPPU), Planning and Development Department, Government of Sindh, Karachi-74200, Pakistan.

*Corresponding authors: drzafar10@hotmail.com, valeem@hotmail.com