Seasonal and Altitudinal Variation in Chemical Composition of Celtis australis L. Tree Foliage

Abstract

Celtis australis is an important agroforestry tree in the Himalayan region providing major fodder to the livestock and many other needs for sustaining life in local rural communities. Including their fodder value and wide altitudinal distribution ranges, it is extracted by the villagers in large scale during the lean period (May to June). Thus, the aim was to understand the nutritive values of the species influenced by the altitude and harvesting season. For this investigation, leaves of C. australis were collected from four different altitudes during the months of February to December. The nutritive value of collected foliage, i.e., dry matter, ash, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, crude protein, crude fiber, starch, sugar, and phenolic were estimated by using stranded methods. The results of present study reveal that significant seasonal variations have been observed for the chemical composition of C. australis tree foliage collected from different altitudes. On an average, between seasons, crude protein ranged from 9.17 to 16.97%, phosphorus 0.08 to 0.16%, potassium 0.28 to 0.76%, crude fiber 13.94 to 19.80%, sugars 1.11 to 1.83%, and starch 4.79 to 6.53%. Altitude also significantly influenced nutritive content. Between altitudes, phosphorus ranged from 0.10 to 0.11%, potassium 0.42 to 0.50%, crude protein 12.66 to 14.02%, crude fiber 1.61 to 1.71%, sugars 1.45 to 1.66%, starch 4.71 to 6.31%, and phenolic 0.43 to 0.78%. Potassium, calcium, crude protein, and starch were significantly positively correlated with altitude of foliage collection. However, dry matter content, phosphorus, and soluble sugars, significantly correlated inversely with altitude.

Combined interaction between the diazotrophic Niallia circulans strain YRNF1 and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in promoting growth of eggplant and mitigating root rot stress caused by Rhizoctonia solani

“…Using Kjeldhal assays, N was estimated by titration following distillation (Goyal et al, 2022). Total P was evaluated as per Singh et al (2022). Total K was determined based on Goyal et al (2022).…”

Carbon Sequestration Potential of Agroforestry versus Adjoining Forests at Different Altitudes in the Garhwal Himalayas

“…Agroforestry is a unique and very common practice in the Central Western Himalayan region of Uttarakhand, India. The trees in agroforestry are designed to enhance the grower's demand to achieve their diverse needs, such as fodder, fuel, fiber, fruits, small timber, farming tools, etc., along with agricultural produce [8][9][10]. Agroforestry systems are vital reservoirs of biodiversity and ecosystem services, providing a potential contribution to the preservation of biodiversity and supporting livelihoods [11][12][13][14].…”

Nutritive Status of Maytenus heterophylla and Acacia nilotica Leaves Cultivated in Winter from Two Varied Landscapes

“…Some commonly grown fodder trees including Artocarpus lakoocha, Thysanolaena maxima, Ficus roxburghii and Bauhinia purpurea are used as maintenance ration to sustain their livestock (Shah et al, 2019). Fodders are known to provide certain needed nutrients in the feeds of livestock during the dry period when protein as well as nutrient deficiency are expected to happen (Bhatt and Verma, 2002;Singh et al, 2022).…”