Information about the use of Sporobolus marginatus for ruminant feeding is scarce. It provides grazing of excellent quality and contributes much as fodder grass on saline habitats (Dougall et al., 1965; Gupta et al., 1971). It is generally considered as palatable (Korwar et al., 2014; Patel et al., 2012), particularly when young (Gupta et al., 1971), but this is disputed (Skerman et al., 1990).
In East Africa, Sporobolus marginatus has been recognized a grass species of good nutritive value grazed by wild ruminants such as impalas (Aepyceros melampus) in Tanzania, and wildebeests (Connochaetes taurinus) in Kenya (Dougall et al., 1965; Vesey-Fitzgerald, 1969; Andere, 1981). In the latter case, the herbage intake was about 920 kg DM/ha and the grazing efficiency (herbage intake x 100 / herbage production) was 96% (Andere, 1981). The cattle of Masol pastoralists in Kenya reportedly graze it as it is ubiquitous and available in all seasons (Sheppard et al., 2009). A similar observation has been reported in the region of the Lake Manyara in Kenya, where Sporobolus marginatus is grazed for most of the year by wild animals. Growing in association with other grasses, it forms cushions that are grazed down to ground level early in the dry season. However, the perennial cushions remain viable: when the short rains come in November-December, the sward flushes and are grazed by animals. After a lull in January, the sward flushes again after the rains from March to May. The plants mature and flower, but growth from the cushions is continuous so fresh pasture is always available, even when other plants dry at the end of the rain season, and animals continue to use this pasture from June to October. After that period, Sporobolus marginatus still provides a standing hay of good quality (Vesey-Fitzgerald, 1969).
Sporobolus marginatus is one of the dominant species of the Banni grasslands, a belt of arid grasslands on the southern edge of marshy salt flats of in Kutch District, Gujarat. These grasslands are traditionally used to fatten sheep, goats and bullocks (Ghotge, 2004).
