The Study of Preference Values of Forage Species and Grazing Behavior of Tali Goat in Chabahar Rangelands of Iran

In recent years, studying the dietary preferences and livestock grazing behaviorhas attracted lots of attention due to manage and improve the efficiency of rangelands. So,in this study the foraging behavior and diet selection of Tali goat was investigated in theChabahar Rangeland during 2008-2010. Data were collected and analyzed for speeds oflivestock, covered distance, time of grazing, resting, and walking for months of grazing(February to May) as replications over 3 years. To determine the preference value, timerecorder method was used. Time of grazing of specific plant species by livestock wasmonthly recorded and analyzed, across February to April. Results showed that Launaeamucronata species of annual broad-leaved had the highest preference value while twospecies of Sporobolus arabicus and Lotononis platycarpos had the lowest ones. All themeasured parameters of grazing behavior had no significant differences during the studiedyears. The resting time rates of various months had significant differences. Accordingly,the highest resting time rate could be attributed to May whereas this rate was likely to bereduced during February, March and April. The result of the study will therefore be usefulin planning a grazing strategy and determination of carrying capacity for livestock grazingin the studied rangelands. Also the findings help us in rehabilitate Chabahar rangelands,with palatably species for the Tali goats.