C. S. Dhanai , Vijender P. Panwar

Abstract

The impact of aspect, altitude, slope and soil has been studied on the moist temperate forest of Quercus floribunda in Garhwal Himalaya. Four faces namely North-West, South-East and South-West have been studied to understand the growth behaviour of Q. Floribunda with varying altitudes. The total basal cover was found highest (4347.33 cm²/100m²) on the North-West facing slope. The Q. Floribunda was found associated with Rhododendron arboreum as a main companion species on all the faces. The soil of Q. floribunda forest on various aspects has moderate soil pH, where maximum amount of potassium (800 kg ha^-1) and phosphorous (29.59 kg ha^-1 ) was observed on North-West aspect, which has supported the growth of Q. floribunda forests on these aspects. Dominance of Q. floribunda was recorded for resource utilizatiQn on North-West aspect for both trees and saplings, which indicates greater equitable share of resources among the various species present on this aspect. It is recommended that the plantations of Q. floribunda should be done on North facing aspects for optimum yield and sustainable development.

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P. A. Sofi ¹, A. R. Malik ¹, J. S. Butola ², G. M. Bhat ¹, C. S. Dhanai ²

Affiliations
1 S.K. University of Agricultural Science and Technology, Wadura Campus, Sopore, Jammu and Kashmir, IN
2 College of Forestry, VCSG Uttarakhand University of Horticulture and Forestry, Ranichauri, Tehri Garhwal, Uttarakhand, IN

Abstract

Cedrus deodara (Roxb.) G. Don (Deodar) is one amongst the prominent conifer species of temperate region of India. Good seed year in this species occurs once in 4-5 years and the seeds do not retain viability for more than one season under normal ambient temperature. Standardization of suitable storage condition is pre-requisite for the management of its germplasm. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to assess the effect of storage temperatures and type of containers on viability and germination during different storage periods (3, 6, 9, 12, 15 and 18 months). The seeds were stored in three different types of containers (Polybags, Earthen pots and Plastic containers) and kept at three different temperature regimes (Room temperature, 4.0±1.0°C and 8.0±1.0°C). Results revealed that seed stored in earthen pots at 4.0±1.0°C retained significantly (P < 0.05) higher viability (73.0%), germination (70.0%) and germination value (19.50) after 18 months of storage as compared to other storage conditions. Notably, a sharp decline in viability and germination was recorded in seeds stored in polybags placed at room temperature. Possible reasons of such variation in results have been discussed. The implementation of these results for conservation management especially nursery development and sustainable utilization of Deodar in Himalayan region have been suggested.

Keywords

Cedrus deodara, Germination, Storage, Temperature, Container, Himalaya.

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