Alexis Oosthuizen (M.Sc. student)

I completed my B.Sc.(Agric.) Animal Science degree in 2019 and joined the FPLRS team as an M.Sc. student in January 2020. I have developed a strong interest in improving food security through sustainable crop and livestock production, particularly through the intensive grazing of natural and planted pastures. My studies have awakened a fascination with the beauty of natural veld grasses (a good substitute for my collection of struggling houseplants).  I have also become very involved in tutoring as a Teaching Assistant and have discovered a love of learning and teaching. I currently collect data from Grass SA in Delmas, Mpumalanga and Hoogland Boerdery and Welgevonden Game Reserve in Limpopo, and this suits me exceptionally well as I enjoy travel and adventure! 

Many reclamation, restoration and rehabilitation projects implement certain practices to reintroduce or reinforce natural grass covers in relevant land capability classes. These projects also use assessment methodologies to establish whether the vegetation component has progressed to an ecologically stable condition through natural succession. This information often provides the land user or manager with information on how to manage livestock and game on these mixed veld grass covers. Since early 1940, Veld Condition Assessments have been conducted using an ecological approach, in which grass species are classified based on their reaction to grazing or veld deterioration. However, evidence suggests that veld condition has little to no effect on animal production in sourveld areas, as ecological groups do not reflect grass palatability or forage production value, but rather their stability in terms of grassland succession.

Additionally, little attention is given to the effect of the seasonal decline in forage quality on the value of veld for grazing livestock or game. This study explores the use of species composition data, species-specific seasonal quality parameters and other factors that affect the quality of veld for livestock production to design an agronomically-based, dynamic veld condition assessment that can be used to plan grazing, burning and other defoliation regimes. Additionally, the effects of various defoliation strategies (burning and cutting intensities) on forage quality are monitored to predict changes in these agronomic values and adjust veld condition scores and veld management strategies accordingly. Hence, veld condition scores will be based on both species composition and proposed land use. Forage quality analyses are conducted using Near-Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy, a low-cost, non-destructive, rapid, and accurate method of determining various forage chemical parameters. Currently, little data about the forage value and of natural veld species exists. This data provides scope for developing databases containing comprehensive information about veld grass quality that may be used to establish new, accurate methods of veld condition assessment.