PLANT DIVERSITY RECORDED AT KUPPI ARTIFICIAL FOREST PLANTATION IN PAKISTAN


Ayesha Siddiqui, Muhammad Noaman Tayyab, Muhammad Adnan Bodlah

DOI: 10.26480/bda.02.2020.59.62

ABSTRACT
Forests are a substantial source of terrestrial biodiversity; reforestation has the potential to restore biodiversity through managed plantations of native and exotic species. Therefore, the present study was conducted to determine under-storey natural vegetation along with types of planted trees located at Kuppi Artificial Forest Plantation (KAFP). The KAFP comprised of forty-one blocks. The data was collected during summer and winter season in 2010 by Quadrat method from thirteen blocks, those were selected on the basis of plantations types. The planted tree species were Dalbergia sissoo, Terminalia arjuna, Morus alba, Eucalyptus camaldulensis, Vachellia nilotica, Prosopis cineraria and Bombax ceiba. Quadrat sizes of 10m2 ,5m2 and 1m2 were used for surveying trees, shrubs and ground flora like grasses, sedges and forbs respectively. Plant samples were identified by using the Flora of Pakistan present at General Laboratory of Department of Botany, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad. Results indicated that artificial reforestation has the ability to restore important native vegetation. Many wild species of Punjab plains; grasses viz., Setaria pumila, Panicum antidotale, Dactyloctenium aegyptium, Sporobolus indicus, herbs viz., Anagallis arvensis, Verbascum thapsus, Medicago polymorpha, Oxalis corniculata, Euphorbia hirta, trees such as, Senegalia modesta, Syzygium cumini, Tamarix aphylla, shrubs such as, Volkameria inermis, Withania somnifera, Grewia tenax and sedges such as, Bolboschoenus affinis, Cyperus rotundus were recorded along-with planted trees at KAFP. Ground flora Cynodon dactylon and Desmostachya bipinnata were dominant. Presence of salt resistant species indicated that soil under study is salt affected. Therefore, the study concludes that reforestation has the ability to restore native vegetation and can be used for the preservation of natural biodiversity.

KEYWORDS
Artificial Forest, Plant Biodiversity, Native Flora in Pakistan