Breeders’ knowledge on cattle fodder species preference in rangelands of Benin

Table 4 Top 16 fodder plants consumed by the cattle in Benin

N°	Species	Family	RFC	FVPW	P	Ls	MT	PP	Properties
1	Andropogon gayanus	Poaceae	5.81	47	**	Ann	Herb	Le	Very good forage
2	Panicum maximum	Poaceae	5.45	50	***	Ann	Herb	Le	Good forage
3	Pterocarpus erinaceus	Leguminosae	5.34	50	***	Per	Tree	Le	Most consumed in drought, increases weight gain
4	Flueggea virosa	Euphorbiaceae	5.14	47	***	Ann	Bushy shrub	LS	Great appetency in drought
5	Andropogon tectorum	Poaceae	4.24	31	**	Ann	Herb	Le	Very good forage
6	Anogeissus leiocarpa	Combretaceae	3.16	25	**	Per	Tree	Le	–
7	Piliostigma thonningii	Leguminosae	2.82	31	**	Per	Tree	Le, Fr	Good appetency
8	Pseudocedrela kotschyii	Meliaceae	2.57	31	**	Per	Tree	Le	–
9	Prosopis africana	Leguminosae	2.52	31	***	Per	Tree	Le, Fl	Induces milk production
10	Digitaria horizontalis	Poaceae	2.28	13	**	Ann	Herb	Le	Good forage
11	Annona senegalensis	Annonaceae	2.21	9	*	Per	Shrub	Le	–
12	Afzelia africana	Leguminosae	1.59	16	***	Per	Herb	Le	Induces milk production
13	Acacia sieberiana	Leguminosae	1.54	13	**	Per	Tree	Le, Fr	Great appetency in drought
14	Tephrosia purpurea	Leguminosae	1.54	13	**	Ann	Herb	LS	Anthelmintic
15	Detarium microcarpum	Leguminosae	1.44	6	**	Per	Tree	LS	Treat diarrhoea, constipation
16	Leucaena leucocephala	Leguminosae	1.41	22	***	Per	Tree	Le	Nutritious plant

RFC relative frequency of citation, FVPW fodder value during pasture walk, P palatability (*fairly, **weakly, ***highly), Ls lifespan, Per perennial, Ann annual, MT morphological type, PP plant parts used, Le leaves, Fl flower, LS leafed stem, Fr fruit

ISSN: 1746-4269