Mineral Contents of Browse Plants in Kweneng District in Botswana

The mineral composition of 22 browse species (Acacia species (erubescens, fleckii, giraffae, karroo, mellifera and tortillis); Grewea species (bicolor, flava and flavascence); Boscia species (albutrunca and foetida); Peltophorum africanum, Combretum hereroscence, Ehretia rigida, Terminalia serecia, Ziziphus mucronata, Euclea undulata, Commiphora species, Ximania africanum, Ochna pulchra, Dichrostachys cineria and M. senegalensces) from Kweneng district was evaluated. Concentration of Ca, Mg, Na, K and P varied among the species from 0.69-1.89, 0.24-0.66, 0.42-2.42, 0.41-3.03 and 0.03-0.40 g/100 g on dry matter basis, respectively. The browses contained low levels of most micro minerals. The grazing livestock in the area should be provided with mineral supplements due to the low levels of both macro and micro minerals in the browses in the sand veld of Kweneng districts.