Abstract 185

Pillai,-KR; Thiagarajan,-S; Samuel,-C

Ebor Res., Sime Darby Plantations, Batu Tiga, Selangor, Malaysia.

Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the Malaysian Society of Animal Production. 1985, 43-52; 7 ref. Selangor, Malaysia; Malaysian Society of Animal Production.

Sheep grazing trials were conducted under immature rubber and oil palm plantations in 1984-85. In rubber, Ottochloa nodosa, Paspalum conjugatum and Pueraria phaseoloides, which were the dominant cover species, comprising 30, 15 and 15% of the total vegetation, resp., before grazing, were reduced to 15, 5 and 2% after 8 months' grazing. Over the same period Calopogonium caeruleum increased from 5 to 40%. A stocking rate of 15-17 ewes/ha gave acceptable weed control with sufficient ground cover for grazing. There was no inhibition of rubber growth and only occasional damage caused by horned rams. Under oil palm, ground cover consisted mainly of Asystasia intrusa (85%) which was rapidly defoliated by sheep. Sheep browsing and nibbling of oil palm basal fronds and fruit bunches caused minimal damage. Data are given on sheep liveweight gain, conception rates, lambing, birth weights, mortality and animal performance under oil palm.