https://www.gjaas.org/index.php/GJAAS <p><strong>Global Journal of Agricultural and Allied Sciences (GJAAS) is a multi-disciplinary, peer-reviewed (double-blind) international journal published by the Association of Nepalese Agricultural Professionals of Americas (NAPA).</strong></p> <p>GJAAS publishes high-quality original research papers and review articles on various aspects of Agricultural Sciences, including but not limited to Agricultural Ecology; Agricultural Economics; Agricultural Engineering; Agricultural Extension; Agroclimatology; Agronomy/Crop Science; Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine; Applications of Remote Sensing, Geographic Information System (GIS), and Crop Modeling in Agriculture; Climate Change; Environmental Science; Entomology/Plant Protection; Farming Systems and Sustainable Agriculture; Forestry/Agro-forestry; Horticulture; Natural Resources; Plant Breeding/Applied Genetics/Bio-technology; Plant Pathology; Soil Science; Weed Science, and closely related disciplines.</p> <p>Any article submitted to this journal should appeal to readers around the globe.</p> Association of Nepalese Agricultural Professionals of Americas en-US Global Journal of Agricultural and Allied Sciences 2575-1662 https://www.gjaas.org/index.php/GJAAS/article/view/57 <p>Browse species supplement diet, increase diet variety, and expand grazing opportunity for small ruminants. However, information on the foliage-development pattern of browse species and appropriate time to begin harvesting/browsing with small ruminants is lacking. Study objectives were to 1) determine the growth pattern of browse species available in grazing lands, and 2) evaluate small ruminants’ preference for these species. Browse species present in woodland (2.8 ha) and browse-research (5.2 ha) sites were identified and tagged in early-winter, 2019. The date when the first leaf-sprout occurred was recorded, and the canopy-development data taken fortnightly after the first sprout until the full canopy was attained. Eight Kiko wethers and five Katahdin rams were co-stocked rotationally in three woodland plots (0.4 ha each) from mid-May to mid-October 2019. The extent of defoliation (0-5: 0 - no defoliation, 5 - 80-100% defoliation) of browse species by animals was assessed. Canopy-development data were analyzed using the GLM procedure and plant-preference data with Mixed procedure in SAS 9.4. Nine species began sprouting in early February, seven by mid-March, and three by late April. Species varied in attaining the full canopy ranging from April 21 to May 21. Animals showed high preference for eight species, moderate preference for nine, and least preference for 11. Results show that browse foliage can be ready for harvest beginning late April to mid-May depending on the browse species. Moderate to highly preferred species can be used to develop browse program or manage these species with small ruminants if present in woodlands.</p> Bidur Paneru Uma Karki Shailes Bhattrai Nevershi Ellis Lila B. Karki Srinivasa R. Mentreddy Copyright (c) 2022 Global Journal of Agricultural and Allied Sciences 2023-02-26 2023-02-26 4 1 1 8 10.35251/gjaas.2022.001