Vegetation and Soil Characteristics of Plantations in a Part of Western Himalaya

Abstract

Recognizing the role of plantations in bioresource conservation, four plantations namely Department of Non-renewable Energy Sources (DNES), Eucalyptus, Rose, and Tea were surveyed and sampled in a part of Western Himalaya. Total of 96 plant species belonging to 52 families were recorded from the plantations. Poaceae, Asteraceae and Rosaceae were the dominant families while seven species namely Bidens pilosa, Clinopodium vulgare, Erigeron annuus, Euphorbia heterophylla, Eupatorium adenophorum, Oxalis corniculata, and Pouzolzia zeylanica were common to all the plantations. Maximum tree density was recorded in DNES plantation (36.63±28.10/100m2), while maximum shrub density was in Tea plantation (20.50±2.10/25 m2). Rose plantation, on the other hand, had the highest herb density (210.83±57.30/m2). Tree (2.547) and shrub diversity (2.382) was highest in DNES, while the herb diversity was highest (2.594) in Tea plantation. The pH of the soil from these plantations 4.37 in Tea plantation to 4.77 in Rose plantation. Amongst the four plantations, maximum similarity was between DNES and Eucalyptus plantations (22%) and added together the four plantations account for 3% of the Flora of Himachal Pradesh.