Floristic composition and phytosociology of various forage-based land-use systems in the Himalayas over an altitudinal gradient Bhutia P. L.1,2,*, Gupta B.3, Yadav R. P.4, Bhutia K. G.5, Yadav Devideen6, Langlentombi Leishangthem Chanu7 1ICAR Research Complex for NEH Region, Nagaland Centre, Medziphema-797106, India 2ICAR-Indian Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chandigarh-160019, India 3Dr. Y.S. Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry, Solan-173230, India 4Rani Lakshmi Bai Central Agricultural University, Jhansi-284003, India 5Rain Forest Research Institute, Jorhat-785001, India 6ICAR-Indian Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Dehradun-248195, India 7ICAR-ICAR Research Complex for NEH Region, Manipur Centre, Imphal-795004, India *Corresponding author email: pempadenzongpa66@gmail.com
Online published on 5 August, 2024. Abstract Systematic sampling method was used to study ground vegetation diversity and phytosociology of chir pine silvipasture (SPCP), mixed-trees silvipasture (SPM), ban oak silvipasture (SPBO) and grasslands (Gr) in the western Himalaya, India along an altitudinal gradient viz., E1 (<850 m), E2 (851-1150 m), E3 (1151-1450 m), E4 (1451-1750 m) and E5 (>1751 m). Ground vegetation belonging to 36 families, 106 genera, and 122 species were recorded, of which 68.85% of species belong to herbs and 31.15% belong to shrubs. Shannon-Wiener and Shannon evenness indices varied from 1.51 (Gr at E2) to 2.86 (SPM at E5), 0.46 (Gr at E2) to 0.80 (SPM at E4), for herbs; 1.91 (Gr at E1) to 2.78 (SPM at E5), 0.79 (SPCP at E1) to 0.92 (SPM at E3), for shrubs, respectively. The density and basal area of herbs were higher in grassland as compared to silvipasture systems, while it was vice-versa in the case of shrubs. These phytosociological characteristics of herbs and shrubs typically declined with elevation in all the land-use systems. Thus, silvipasture systems showed higher ground species diversity than grasslands. The phytosociological parameters of herbs were better in grasslands as compared to silvipastures. However, shrubs showed better growth parameters under silvipasture systems as compared to grasslands. Top Keywords Basal area, Diversity index, Floristic composition, Grassland, Silvipasture. Top |