Toxic/Poisonous to Livestock Plants of Mongolian Rangelands
Daalkhaijav Damiran and Enkhjargal Darambazar
Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center, Union, OR-97883, Oregon, USA
Briefly about Mongolian rangelands
Mongolian natural rangeland covers 128.8 million ha. There are about 2823
vascular plant species and over 662 genera and 128 families have been recorded
(Gubanov, 1996). Mongolian rangeland can be divided into 4-5 zones according to
locations that differ in landscape, annual and seasonal climatic conditions, species
composition and growth rate: high mountains, forest-steppe, steppe, desert-steppe and
desert belt. Desert-steppe and desert belt account for 44.6% of the pastureland and the
main domestic herbivores are camels and goats. Forest-steppe and high mountains
accounts for 27.4% and the main domestic herbivores are cattle, sheep, horse and yaks.
The rest 28% of the pastureland belongs to steppe and is the main stock-raising zone for
cattle, sheep, horse, camels and goats. Mongolia is the only country of Eurasia to retain
huge areas of steppes vegetation (Gunin et al. 1999).
Mongolian rangeland is distributed over the extremely continental climate with
harsh continental and extremely unpredictable climatic conditions. North and central part
of country’s isohyets of 250-300 mm annual rainfall and over the southern-desert part of
the country 50 to 100 mm annual rainfall.
In Mongolia, the growing season is short and very dependent on climate,
particularly rainfall. New growth in the forest steppe and steppe zones begins in midApril, whereas elsewhere it may not begin until mid-May. Growth is often very slow, and
the grazing of young grass may only be possible after 30-35 days. Livestock, therefore,
1
consume small amount of fresh grass/forage in April/May along with larger amounts of
senescent material. From June to September, nearly the entire intake is of fresh forage.
Some forage plant species reach their final growth stage in August and show signs of
senescence, although other plant species may have vegetative growth till mid-September
and some remain green until mid-October. During the growing season some areas remain
ungrazed to be harvested and conserved as hay or left to provide standing forage during
the winter (Daalkhaijav, 1995; Murray et al., 1998). Therefore Mongolian animals
changeover from consumption of dead grass to fresh forage over a period of 10-11
weeks, and from fresh forage to standing dead over 5-6 weeks. This has the advantage in
that it allows development of stable activity of rumen microbes on both diets due to
gradual changeover (Daalkhaijav, 1995). Thus Mongolian livestock may rely on
senescent grasses as its main feed for about 200 days. From the point of the view of
toxicology there are some advantages. This gradual changeover prevents animals from
diarrhea which is caused by lush spring pasture. Animals’ long time foraging by standing
dead has some positive effects, in particular, it reduces possibility of plant poisoning,
since plants usually contain more toxicants in their growing (green) season.
Mongolian traditional livestock management method such as keeping all types of
animals in one grazing together might allow them to avoid plant toxicities, due to a
possibility of one type of animal influencing the other beneficially by consuming the
plants which might be toxic to others by those which are resistant. Also Mongolian
nomadic way of leading animal husbandry that is a selective use of rangeland through
year round moving from one pasture to another may have a positive effect to avoiding
animals poisoning.
2
Livestock number in Mongolia is increasing significantly in last couple of years.
Heavy grazing results in strong vegetation degradation. All plant community indices
decline, community structure is simplified, and floristic richness declines (Gunin et al.
1999). Such vegetation degradation will drive to decreasing pasture yield, which
eventually would likely to lead to limiting forage choices for animals and increasing
animal poisoning incidents from poisonous plants and losses.
Thoughts on toxic /poisonous plants of Mongolian rangelands
Plants contain toxic substances to protect themselves from herbivore. Animals
also have been exposed to toxic constituents of plants during their long period of coevolution and have developed numerous biochemical strategies for detoxification of
poisonous compounds (chemical defenses). Detoxification in the digestive tract is very
common and evolved ways of detoxification of invertebrate and vertebrate. These include
chemical and microbiological detoxification mechanisms in the gastrointestinal tract, a
host of detoxifying enzymes in the liver and similar enzymes in all other tissues (Cheeke,
1998).
From ancient times the Mongols have herded five kinds of animals (sheep, goat,
cattle/yak, horse, and camel) in the severe Central Asian climate, have grazed them
throughout the year on open pastures. Investigation of the relationship between plant
toxicants and Mongolian range animals should be of higher scientific and practical as
well as theoretical interest since Mongolian range animals have been through a long
evolutionary process to build up protection from poisonous plants (Figure 1) and they can
obtain over 95% of their annual feed intake requirements from pasture along.
3
There were not so much available published sources, specifically focused on toxic
plants on Mongolian rangelands. We’ve screened some key review books related to
rangeland and forage plant investigation (Yunatov 1954, Tserendulam 1980, Jigjidsuren
1984, and Ulziikhutag 1984, 1985, Grubov 2001) of Mongolia. Special chapters or parts
defined to plant toxicity/poison were not found (toxic dose, toxicity rating, dangerous
parts of plant, signs, first aid, and etc.,) in those reference materials, although when they
give descriptions about nutritive significance they mentioned, which plant is the most
toxic, when, and its species susceptibility. However, this information (Table1) about
plant toxicity was based mostly on folk sources obtained from herdsmen, which present
difficulties to make “inferences”.
Information on species susceptibility, for example, which type of animal how
much (consumed amount animal body weight ratio) is toxicated was not clearly
determined; it was stated that Senecio jacobaea is toxic for sheep and goats, which was
not similar in North American studies (Cheeke 1998) about this species toxicity. It
should be noted that there were included only those plant species which cause significant
toxicity, but were not mentioned moderately or mild toxic plants at all. So the table
presented here is made by gathering and abstracting the information from various kinds
of sources and summarizing it to make a brief report.
Recently a research was done about a toxic plant called Ammopiptanthus
mongolicus (Mongol monkh khargana) and the scientists from the Research Institute of
Animal Husbandry, Mongolia have derived a component of alkaloid type and found it
effective for promoting animal growth, which is now being introduced to practice.
4
Historically, the Mongols have accumulated wide experience of treating of
poisoned animals. Medicinal preparation used by the Mongols can be divided into three
groups: of animal, vegetable and mineral origin. They include sour milk, airag (fermented
mare’s milk), dairy home-brew, meat and bone broth, bile, blood, horns and bones of
various wild animals, soot and ashes of individual tree species, various plants, natural
salts, agates, sulphur, copper, silver and others (Dash 1990), either in natural form or as
components of compound prescriptions. Bloodletting is very widely used on poisoned
animals. For horse alone, herders use more than 30 points for bloodletting. Though
traditional methods of poisoned animal treatment gradually ignored for years in
Mongolia.
Toxic/poisonous plants and human health concerns
Like other nations, the Mongols have number of ways of avoiding natural
toxicants. One example is the Mongols drink green tea, prepared with some milk and a
pinch of salt, brewed by boiling it for couple of minutes. Generally, consumption of high
tannins is the cause of high incidences of esophageal cancer. Tannins in tea have also
been implicated. According to Cheeke (1998) addition of cream or milk to tea eliminates
this effect, because of formation of a protein-tannin complex. Sodium of salt would be
also useful, because it will form metal-tannin complex. Low incidence of esophageal
cancer among the Mongols might be explained by this, by adding milk and salt to green
tea. There are number of such kind of examples.
The Mongols should be more concerned, however, about natural toxins,
especially plant toxins due to their preferences to animal originated food, which is related
to the traditional nomadic way of life. There is some incidence of mental or neurological
5
diseases mainly among people in some parts of semi-desert and desert zones of the
country who make their living by raising goats, which might be partly related to their
consumption of raw milk from goats grazed on arid land plants which tend to have
elevated contents of toxic chemical substances. Goats would be a more likely source of
contaminated milk than cattle, because of their tendency to eat many poisonous to other
animals plants, since they are more resistant to many plant toxins. For example, they
readily consume Senecio spp. which contain pyrrolizidine alkaloids (Cheeke 1998).
Also, herders’ children spend all day long on pasture land herding their livestock
and tend to have incidents to be poisoned by accidentally consuming adverse plants by
chewing or eating berries.
Implementations
•
Wider investigation and publication of research results on toxic plants of
Mongolian rangelands are needed.
•
Training students, extension specialists and herders about toxic plants and
methods of prevention and treatment is necessary.
•
More research needs to be done on collecting and recreating traditional methods
of prevention and treatment of plant toxicity to provide scientifically justified
reference materials.
•
Intensive investigation of digestive tract microorganisms in Mongolian range
animals should be also an interesting topic from the point of animal adaptation to
toxic plants.
6
References
Cheeke P, 1998. Natural toxicants in feeds, forages, and poisonous plants. Interstate
Publishers, Inc. 479 p.
Daalkhaijav D, 1995. Carbohydrate content and nutritive value of forages. Thesis.
Mongolian Agricultural University. 180p. (in Mongolian).
Dash M, 1991. Mongolian traditional veterinary medicine. International workshop on
pastoralism and socio-economic development. FAO, UN. 97p.
Grubov V.I., 2001. Key to the vascular plants of Mongolia. Science Publishers, Inc. 817
p.
Gubanov, I.A. 1996. Conspectus of flora of Outer Mongolia (vascular plants). Valang
Publishers, Moscow, 136 p. (in Russian).
Gunin, P.D., E.A. Vostokova, N.I. Dorofeyuk, P. E. Tarasov, and C.C. Black. 1999.
Vegetation dynamics of Mongolia. Kluwer Academic Publisher. 238 p.
Jigjidsuren S., (ed.,) 1984. Encyclopedia of Mongolian pasture and forages. State
Publishing House, Ulaanbaatar, 376 p. (in Mongolian).
Murray, A.H., D. Daalkhaijav and C.D. Wood. 1998. Rumen degradability and chemical
content of Mongolian pastures: J. Tropical Science, 38:198-205.
Tserendulam R., 1980. Table of Mongolian forage nutritive value. State Publishing
House. Ulaanbaatar. 231 p. (in Mongolian).
Ulziikhutag N (ed.,), 1984. Dictionary of terminology of Mongolian plants. State
Publishing House, Ulaanbaatar, 360 p. (in Mongolian).
Ulziikhutag N, 1985. Taxonomy of Mongolian fodder and pasture plants. State
Publishing House. Ulaanbaatar. (in Mongolian).
7
Yunatov A.A., 1954. Forage plants of pastures and meadows of the MPR. USSR
Academy of Sciences Publishing House, Moscow, Leningrad, 352 p. (in Russian).
Figure 1. This picture is taken in Zavkhan aimag, Mongolia. The goats and sheep are
licking the soil in which they have already made holes. The soil color shows that it
might be high in the ionophoric compounds content. Animals can consume soils that
will reduce their mineral deficiency and improve ionophoric capability. The
ionophore alters ruminal microbial populations and reduces toxin absorption of
digestive tract. The most common toxic plants that may occur in this area are:
Astragalus variables, A. galactites Pall, and Ammoriptanthus mongolicus (photo by
D.Damiran, 2002).
8
Table 1
Main toxic/poisonous plants of the Mongolian Rangelands
Note: T= toxic/poisonous
Seasons
Scientific name
Local name (Mongolian)
Equisetum fluviatila L.
Goliin shivlee
Affected
type of
animals
Winter
(DecMarch)
Cattle
Goat
Sheep
Horse
Ephedra equisetina
Bung.
T
T
T
T
Achnatherum inebrians
Keng.
Festuca sibirica Hack.
Veratrum lobelianum
Bernh.
Polygonatum sibiricum
Del.
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
Tavan salaan usan tyuryu
Goat
Sheep
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
Camel
Catte
Goat
Sheep
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
Khoron ders
Sibir botuuli
Cattle
Goat
Horse
Sheep
Veratrum nigrum L.
T
T
T
T
Autumn
(SeptNov.)
Yamaan zeergene
Goats
Sheep
Alisma plantagoaquatica L.
Summer
(JuneAugust)
Shivleekhei zeergene
Catte
Goat
Sheep
Horse
Ephedra monosperma
Gmel.
Spring
(Marsh
- May)
T
T
T
T
Khar balchirgana
Cattle
Goat
Horse
Sheep
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
Cattle
Goats
Horses
Sheep
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
Lobeliin balchirgana
Sibir mukhartsagaan
Cattle
Goat
Sheep
9
Polygonatum humile
Fishh.
Polygonatum odoratum
Druce.
Betula rotundifolia
Spach.
Anabasis truncata Bung.
Anabasis eriopoda L.
Anabasis aphylla L.
Anabasis elatior
Schischk.
Ceratophyllum
demersum L.
Nymphaea candida J.
Namkhan mukhartsagaan
Cattle
Goat
Horse
Sheep
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
Cattle
Goat
Horse
Sheep
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
Camel
Cattle
Goats
Horses
Sheep
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
Ankhiluun
mukhartsagaan
Togrognavchit khus
Tanamal bagluur
Camel
Cattle
Goats
Horse
Sheep
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
Camel
Cattle
Goats
Horses
Sheep
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
Camel
Cattle
Goats
Horses
Sheep
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
Camel
Cattle
Goats
Horses
Sheep
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
Cattle
Goats
Horses
Sheep
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
Nooson shilbet bagluur
Navchgui bagluur
Sunagar bagluur
Jivee yulgene
Baigaliin khors
Cattle
Goats
Horses
10
Aconitum excelsum
Reich.
Aconitum barbatum
Pers.
Ranunculus sceleratus L.
Ranunculus pulchellus
C.A.Mey.
Ranunculus japonicus
Thunb.
Sedum aizoon L.
Ammopiptanthus
mongolicus Cheng.
Sophora alopecuroides
L.
Sophora flavescens
Soland.
Sheep
T
T
Cattle
Goats
Horses
Sheep
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
Cattle
Goats
Horses
Sheep
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
Cattle
Goats
Horses
Sheep
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
Cattle
Goats
Horses
Sheep
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
Cattle
Goats
Horses
Sheep
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
Cattle
Goats
Horses
Sheep
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
Umardiin khors
Sakhalt khors
Khort kholtsontsetseg
Goyo kholtsontsetseg
Yapon kholtsontsetseg
Yulden mogoin idee
Mongol monkhkhargana
Camel
Cattle
Goats
Horses
Sheep
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
Camel
Cattle
Goats
Horses
Sheep
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
Camel
Cattle
Goats
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
Yunegen-syuyulkhii lider
Shargal lider
11
Horses
Sheep
Thermopsis alpina
Ledeb.
Thermopsis przewalskii
Czefr.
Thermopsis schishkinii
Czefr.
Thermopsis dahurica
Czefr.
Thermopsis grubovii
Czefr.
Thermopsis mongolica
Czefr.
Thermopsis longicarpa
Ulzij.
Astragalus chorinensis
Bung.
T
T
T
T
T
T
Cattle
Goats
Horses
Sheep
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
Cattle
Goats
Horses
Sheep
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
Camel
Cattle
Goats
Horses
Sheep
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
Camel
Cattle
Horses
Sheep
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
Camel
Cattle
Goats
Horses
Sheep
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
Camel
Cattle
Goats
Horses
Sheep
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
Camel
Cattle
Goats
Horses
Sheep
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
Cattle
Goats
Horse
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
Tagiin tarvagan shiir
Prjevalskiin tarvagan shiir
Shishkhinii tarvagan shiir
Daguur tarvagan shiir
Griboviin tarvagan shiir
Mongol tarvagan shiir
Urtbuurtsagt tarvagan shiir
Khori khunchir
12
Astragalus kaufmannii
Kryl.
Agtragalus versicolor
Pall.
Astragalus variabilis
Bung.
Sheep
T
T
Cattle
Goats
Horse
Sheep
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
Cattle
Goats
Horse
Sheep
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
Goats
Sheep
T
T
T
T
Cattle
Goats
Horses
Sheep
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
Cattle
Goats
Horses
Sheep
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
Cattle
Goats
Horses
Sheep
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
Cattle
Goats
Horses
Sheep
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
Camel
Cattle
T
T
T
T
Kauphmanii khunchir
Ereen khunchir
Khuvisamtgai khunchir
Cattle
Goats
Horse
Sheep
Astragalus galactites
Pall.
Oxytropis glabra Lam.
Oxytropis salina Vass.
Oxytropis trichophysa
Bung.
Oxytropis muricata
Pall.
Zygophyllum
brachyterum Kar.
T
T
T
T
Tsagaalin khunchir
Nyutsgan ortuuz
Martsnii ortuuz
Ustkhyoyongo ortuuz
Zyoyolyon orgost ortuuz
Cattle
Goats
Horses
Sheep
Oxalis acetosella L.
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
Egel isreg
Akhardevyuyurt khotir
13
Dictamnus dasycarpus
Turcz.
Cicuta virosa L.
Apocynum hendersonii
L.
Poacynum pictum Ball.
Cynoctonum purpureum
Pall.
Vincetoxicum sibiricum
L.
Solanum septemlobum
Bung.
Solanum depilatum
Kitag.
Hyoscyamus niger L.
Goats
Horses
Sheep
T
T
T
T
T
T
Cattle
Goats
Horses
Sheep
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
Bavgarjimst agzaakhai
Khakhuun goliin khor
Cattle
Goats
Horses
Sheep
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
Cattle
Goats
Horses
Sheep
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
Cattle
Goats
Horses
Sheep
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
Cattle
Goats
Horses
Sheep
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
Gendersonii shonokhor
Tsookhor chonokhor
Ulbalzuur yukhdee
Sibir eryondyogno
Camel
Cattle
Goats
Horses
Sheep
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
Cattle
Goats
Horses
Sheep
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
Cattle
Goats
Horses
Sheep
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
Cattle
Goats
Horses
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
Doloodoi tsetsentser
Ishlegdyy tsetsentser
Khar lantanz
14
Physochlaina
physaloides L.
Linaria acutiloba Fisch.
Linaria buriatica Turcz.
Pedicularis
abrotanifolia M.Bieb.
Senecio vulgaris L.
Senecio nemorensis L.
Senecio jacobaeba L.
Senecio arcticus Rupr.
Saussurea involucrata
Sch.
Sheep
T
T
T
T
Cattle
Goats
Horses
Sheep
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
Cattle
Goats
Horses
Sheep
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
Camel
Cattle
Goats
Horses
Sheep
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
Cattle
Goats
Horses
Sheep
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
Cattle
Goats
Horses
Sheep
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
Camel
Cattle
Goats
Horses
Sheep
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
Yagaan khyunkhors
Khurtssalvant zajluurgana
Buriad zojirgono
Sharilj navchit khuvilangi
Egel zokhimon
Naimaldai zokhimon
Yakhoviin zokhimon
Cattle
Goats
Horses
Sheep
Yaks
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
Cattle
Goats
Horse
Sheep
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
Tuiliin zokhimon
Nyomryogt banzdoo
Cattle
Goats
Horses
Sheep
Saussurea salicifolia L.
DC.
Burgas nashit banzdoo
15
Saussurea salsa Pall.
Acroptilon repens Cass.
Cattle
Goats
Horses
Sheep
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
Cattle
Goats
Horses
Sheep
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
Cattle
Goats
Horses
Sheep
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
Martsnii banzdoo
Myolkhyoyo czashiv
16