Exploration of Some Important Fodder Plants of Joshimath area of Chamoli District of Garhwal, Uttarakhand

Abstract

India has more than 13% of the total livestock population of the world, but it does not have specially identified and regularly managed pastures. Although about 12 million ha of the land in the country is officially recorded as the grazing land, a vast majority of the population depends on the forest for fodder. Livestock is considered as one of the main sources of livelihood, which depends mostly on fodder. Fodder is extracted from forests, grasslands, agricultural land, and agroforestry practices. Agriculture with animal husbandry is the main profession of rural people of this Himalayan region. Livestock plays an important role in the economy of Uttarakhand as it is the important source of income of rural people. There is a vast diversity of fodder plants. Demand for fodder is uniform throughout the year although unavailability of green forage during winter has always remained a serious issue resulting into nutritional deficiency in milching animals. Thus, there is a need to explore fodder plants in Garhwal Himalayas. The present study was conducted to find the diversity of fodder plants and their seasonal availability and mode of use in Chamoli district. The study covers some villages of Joshimath area of Chamoli district of Garhwal which lie in between 30°26′52.37″ to 30°33′02.52″ N latitude and 79°33′57.56″ to 79°41′34.79″ E longitude. The survey was conducted in the years 2014 and 2015. Information on locality, mode of use, and seasonal availability was recorded by interviewing the people of the studied villages. The findings recorded 89 fodder species representing trees, shrubs, herbs, grasses, and climbers. During the rainy season, the availability of fodder is in plenty, but there is fodder crisis in other seasons of the year as people are not aware of scientific conservation of grasses for lean periods. It was observed that more fodder species are needed to be planted to increase the fodder availability in the area.

Timing of phenological events and fruit ripening in Ficus palmata forssk. In the Mid Himalayan Region

“…Protein, phosphorus, and calcium are very important for milk producing animals [38]. Ficus species are the main fodder tree species that are lopped during summer season to feed the animals [39]. In the present study, it was observed that value of ash content, protein, and calcium except phosphorous of leaf of F. palmata was relatively high compared to other species [40].…”

Study of Fodder Plants in Ramnagar of Nainital District in Uttarakhand India

“…On the potential of trees for green fodder some notable contributions have been made including Nautiyal et al, (2017), Nunes et al, (2015) V. Singh et al, (2008). During present study, attempts have been made to enlist the noncultivated fodder plant species which are commonly used for cattle, with the concept of better utilization of forage in livestock feeding growing in the area.…”

“…The earlier studies revels that browses have multiple roles in farming systems such as fodder and veterinary medicines (Luseba & Van Der Merwe, 2006). In Uttarakhand, forests and other uncultivated lands play a key role in the livelihood system of hills, as they provide firewood, fodder (in form of grazing fields and forage) for livestock and agricultural implements and a variety of medicinal plants and other non-timber forest produce for local consumption (Nautiyal et al, 2017). As a major source of animal feeds, fodder trees and shrubs are highly valued by farmers, in order to provide the nutritional needs.…”

The Effect of Plant Age on Nutrient Composition of Quercus Semecarpifolia Collected From District Mandi of Himachal Pradesh India

“…Tree and shrub leaves are significant component of small ruminant diets in several portions of the world and play a vital role in nutrition of browsing animals in areas where insufficient or no replacements are available (Gxasheka et al, 2015). Nutrient contents are impartially high in all fodder tree species though, their quantity varies markedly from one species to alternative (Nautiyal et al, 2017). Dissimilarities in nutrient contents in an individual species also occur with the alteration in season.…”