Improving of Acacia Shrubs Productivity Through Browsing Management in the North Western Coast of Egypt

ACACIA SAUGNA (Labill) H.L.Wendl is a drought-resistant species. Its survival and existence in the arid and semi-arid area is due to its ability to endure the harsh condition and therefore, it generally forms open pure stands or mixed stands in these dry lands. An experiment was conducted from Autumn 2005 till Spring 2007 to study the effect of four browsing rates in three different locations during the two growing seasons namely Autumn and Spring seasons. The main conclusions of this research can be summarized as follows : (1) Browsing at the rate of 75% from the new growth significantly increased Acacia growth. Increasing the browsing rate was preferable for producing virtual yield. Crude protein and crude fiber contents were increased with increasing the rate of browsing. (2) Growth season had significant effect on shrubs growth. Foliage production valuation on the basis of season was more convenient. Spring gave the highest forage yield comparing with Autumn season. Crude protein was higher at Spring season while crude fiber was lower. (3)Acacia shrubs at El-Qaser location showed superiority in all studied traits followed by El-Negiala while Al-Aziziyya had the lowest values under the studied browsing rates. Acacia saligna had a perceptible capability to recover under severe browsing