Production and use of Calliandra calothyrsus by rusa deer based on plant density and cutting height

Abstract

This study, carried out in New Caledonia, showed that the best annual production of Calliandra calothyrsus, origin San Ramon, was obtained with quarterly cutting heights of 1 m and a density of 10,000 plants per hectare (2 m x 0.5 m or 1 m x 1 m, yielding 9.40 and 9.67 t of dry matter per hectare per year, respectively). The parts of shrubs ungrazed by rusa deer were then minimum (1.15 and 1.26 t DM/ha/year) and feed intake maximum (8.25 and 8.41 t DM/ha/year, respectively). Given the browsing behavior of rusa deer its association with Calliandra calothyrsus is promising. In deer farms, the shrub could be an efficient substitute for Leucaena leucocephala, parasitized by psyllid.