Synopses of Departmental courses
PRM 202: INTRODUCTION TO PASTURE AND RANGE SCIENCES
Pasture and range defined (occurrence, succession, role of fire, role of wildlife, importance in ruminant livestock production, systematic and botany of grasses and legume, identification and classification of important tropical pasture/range grasses and legumes species, physiology, adaptation, propagation of grasses and legumes, vegetation belts of Nigeria and adaptation of pasture species, tropical climate and implication for pasture production, plant-soil-animal interrelationships. (To be taught from 2009/2010 session)
FPY406: LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION AND MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUE
This represents the livestock component of the 1-year internship programme during which all students in the are assigned species of livestock for management in rotation including Pasture Management and Utilization techniques.
PRM501: FORAGE SEED PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY
Major species of grasses and legumes: Botany, classification and management. Establishment and agronomic management of forage plants for seed production. Effects of environmental factors on seed production of tropical forage plants and seed quality. Notable forage grasses and legumes in Nigeria, their roles in farming systems and animal production. Seed constrains in forage production in Nigeria. Seed procurement, testing and evaluation, seed harvesting, processing, storage, multiplication and distribution. Role of seed in establishment of fodder bank technology, shrubs and tree legumes.
PRM 502: FORAGE CONSERVATION AND QUALITY (2 Units)
Different methods of forage conservation – hay, silage, haylage, crop residues etc. Storing and feeding conserved feeds. Feeding value of conserved forages. Health hazards associated with conserved forages. Factors affecting chemical composition and digestibility of feeds. Anti-nutritional factors, mineral imbalance in forages.
Practical: preparation of different conserved feeds. Demonstration of digestibility studies.
PRM 503 : TECHNIQUES IN PASTURE MANAGEMENT (2 Units)
Types of pastures and their attributes. Pasture utilization. Grazing management. Defoliation techniques and effects on botanical composition. Manuring and fertilizer uses on pastures. Effect of fertilizer types on pasture species. Weeds and their control. Pasture diseases and control.
PRM 504: MANAGEMENT OF GRASSLANDS (3 Units)
Grassland agriculture and ecology. Secondary succession in grasslands. Natural pastures and their features. Rangelands: influence of biotic and edaphic factors. Range stability. Range condition. Physical development on the range. Range re-seeding and fertilization. Bush burning and effects on range stability. Undesirable plants. Practical: Field trips to representative range areas, Identification of undesirable/toxic plants
PRM 505: PRINCIPLES OF PASTURE AND RANGE SCIENCES (3 Units)
Systematic and botany of grasses and legumes. Identification and classification of tropical forage species. Methods of propagation. Physiology of grasses and legumes. Tropical climate and implication for pasture production. Vegetation belts of Nigeria and adaptation of forage species. Soil-plant-animal inter relationships.
Practical: Identification & collection of forage and seed samples. Hands on experience in forage production.