World Applied Sciences Journal 21 (5): 795-801, 2013 ISSN 1818-4952 © IDOSI Publications, 2013 DOI: 10.5829/idosi.wasj.2013.21.5.552013 Corresponding Authors: Faiz Rasool, Department of Forestry, Rangeland Management and Wildlife, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 38040, Pakistan. 795 Assessment of Nutritional Status in Selected Indigenous and Exotic Rangeland Grasses Faiz Rasool, Zahoor Hussain Khan, Muhammad Ishaque, 1 1 1 Zafar Hussain, Khalid Mehmood Khalid, Muhammad Saleh Saleem, 1 2 2 Muhammad Farooq and Muhammad Bashair 1 3 Department of Forestry, Rangeland Management and Wildlife, 1 University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 38040, Pakistan Department of Punjab Agriculture, Pest Warning and Quality Control of Pesticides, Pakistan 2 Department of Plant Pathology, University of Agriculture, 38040, Faisalabad, Pakistan 3 Abstract: Forage biomass is generally the most important resource for animal production in grass ecosystems that is rapidly being depleted due to heavy grazing over vast areas of rangelands. So a comprehensive study was conducted to determine the comparative nutrient value of available forage resources during various seasons and the ability of these resources to meet the animal feeding requirements for optimum livestock production. In the following study, ten native and exotic grass species were evaluated to find out the different nutritional characteristics viz. moisture, ash, protein and crude fiber on percent basis in the field area of department of Forestry, Range Management & Wildlife, UAF. Mean maximum moisture (%) was gained by P. purpureum (79.42%) while minimum moisture percentage recorded in F. arundinacea (20.86%), Maximum and minimum ash (%) was gained by C. ciliarus (10.62) and L. codensatus (4.39%) respectively. High crude protein (%) was recorded in B. pertursa (9.70%) and low was reported in L. codensatus (3.05%). Mean maximum and minimum crude fiber (%) was gained by B. pertursa (29.83) and C. gayana (0.56). Results show that B. pertursa can be a useful adition for the maintenanace and enhancing the livestock productivity because it has high crude protein and fiber percentage (%). Key words: Moisture %Crude fiber %Crude Protein %Ash % %Rangeland Grasses INTRODUCTION value of grasses and their ability to hold the soil against Rangelands play a significant role in the incomes of livestock contributes nearly 55% to the gross provincial huge number of rural people by providing forage and feed income by the agriculture sector. The mostly hilly terrain to livestock. Livestock grazing represents a system of (73%) of the province has little land for crop agriculture; land management in non-agricultural marginal areas, hence, dependence on livestock is relatively high, whereas, on rangeland livestock grazing signifies the most particularly for rural subsistence [5]. To match the suitable land use [1]. Rangelands support 30 million herds maintenance requirements of livestock, there is a need of of livestock, which contribute US $ 400 million to 13.5 and 110.30 million tons of crude protein (CP) and total Pakistan’s annual export earnings [2]. Past policies have digestible nutrients (TDN), respectively [2]. However, often favored crops over livestock production, resulting present feed resources provide 40% CP and 75% TDN to in misuse of land having economically inefficient the livestock [6]. The deficiency of nutrients leads to production potentials. Good pastures are being converted under nourishment, low productivity and predisposes the into cropland leaving increasingly poorer lands for livestock to parasitism, epidemics and breeding problems. livestock production [3] without thinking about the The improper utilization of rangelands has resulted in conservation of soil. There was no appreciation of the great changes in their ecosystem. The more palatable destructive erosion [4]. In the northern areas of Pakistan,