PJB-2011-230
INFLUENCE OF PLANTATION TYPE ON GROUND FLORA COMPOSITION AND DIVERSITY IN GATWALA ARTIFICIAL FOREST PLANTATION
MANSOOR HAMEED*, RAMLA KHAN, MUHAMMAD ASHRAF1, TAHIRA NAWAZ, MUHAMMAD SAJID AQEEL AHMAD AND SADAF MUBARIK
Abstract
Gutwala Artificial Forest Plantation is important due to conservation viewpoint because many endangered species have been planted therein. A survey was conducted to assess the species diversity and ordination as influenced by different plantation types of both native and exotic nature. In the plantation, 58 tree species have been planted, most of these species being exotic. The impact of the Gutwala plantations on ground vegetation of native flora was quite prominent, where some species had resulted in complete elimination of ground flora. This effect may be mainly due to dense canopy cover, resulting into poor sunlight penetration. In addition, some other factors like allelopathic effect of the planted species on ground vegetation as well as a large amount of leaf shedding of the planted species, make harder ground flora to germinate or grow. Mixed type of Eucalyptus plantation supported mainly grass species like Cynodon dactylon and Dichanthium annulatum. Meliaceae (Azadirachta indica, Melia azedarach and Cedrela toona) restricted the germination and growth of several ground cover species. Papilionaceae (Butea frondosa, Dalbergia sissoo, Pongamia pinnata and D. latifolia) had a single dominant grass species C. dactylon. Mimosaceae (Acacia nilotica, A.modesta and A. sanegal) plantation had a relatively thin ground cover as compared to that in other plantations. In Caesalpiniaceae (Cassia fistula and Bauhinia purpurea) plantation, C. dactylon was the major component of ground vegetation along with two other grasses D. annulatum and Cenchrus pennisetiformis. Dendrocalamus giganteus had slowly decaying and enormously shedding scaly and foliar leaves, which seemed to have inhibited the germination and growth of ground cover species. On the whole, Cynodon dactylon was the most dominant among ground flora, which was followed by Cenchrus pennisetiformis and Dichanthium annulatum. Among dicots, Conyza boneriensis, Coronopus didymus, Atriplex crassifolia, Malvastrum coromandelianum, Sisymbrium irio and Malva parviflora were the dominant species.
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