Gupta, B.Singh, Matber2017-06-032017-06-032014http://krishikosh.egranth.ac.in/handle/1/5810017007The present investigation entitled “Pattern, composition and vegetation dynamics of agroforestry systems in Giri catchment, Himachal Pradesh” was carried out in Giri catchment in located between 30o 33 48 and 31o 16 08 N latitude and 77o 02 32 to 77o 38 22 E longitude in Himachal Pradesh. The climate in this area is sub-humid and sub-tropical in lower parts of the track lying in the Shivaliks and wet-temperate in the upper parts in north-west Himalaya. The mean annual precipitation is 1250 mm. Out of 135 sub-watersheds in Giri catchment, 13 sub-watersheds were selected for study and stratified into three elevations, six vegetation systems viz., agrisilviculture (S1), agrihorticulture (S2), agrihortisilviculture (S3), agrisilvihorticulture (S4), silvipasture (S5) and grasslands (S6) at each elevation were selected to study vegetation composition, phytosociology, biomass, carbon stock and their economic viability. The average family size of sampled households was 6.97 persons/household with average 86.28 % literacy. Average fodder and fuel wood consumption was 55.44 and 26.44 kg/household/day, respectively. Wheat, pea, mustard, barley and pea were rabi crops, whereas maize blackgram, rajmah, capsicum, tomato and beans were cereal crop of kharif season. Prominent tree components in agroforestry systems were Grewia, Toona, Morus, Celtis, Ficus and Bauhinia which were retained on the bunds of agriculture fields, whereas fruit trees of pear, apricot, peach and plum were planted at specified spacing in agriculture fields. In silvipasture systems record 88 genera with 93 species, whereas 86 genera with 93 species in grasslands. The number of species of grasses, sedges, forbs, legumes and shrubs in silvipasture systems were 20, 4, 31, 4 and 27, respectively, whereas in grasslands they were 22, 4, 36, 5 and 27, respectively. At elevation E1, in silvipasture and grasslands, density (tillers/m2) of herbage vegetation was highest than other elevations and their values ranged from 657.73 to 984.67 and 543.63 to 1250.67, respectively. Mean aboveground biomass of vegetation in different systems decreased significantly in the order: S5 (70.63 t ha-1) > S4 (63.13 t ha-1) > S3 (60.95 t ha-1) > S1 (48.63 t ha-1) > S2 (46.85 t ha-1) > S6 (3.13 t ha-1). The belowground and total biomass followed the trend of aboveground biomass. Total biomass of vegetation in different systems decreased significantly in the order: S5 (89.24 t ha-1) > S4 (81.98 t ha-1) > S3 (78.97 t ha-1) > S1 (63.13 t ha-1) > S2 (60.57 t ha-1) > S6 (4.93 t ha-1). The mean aboveground carbon was significantly higher (35.32 t C ha-1) in silvipasture than all other systems, whereas agrisilvihorticulture store maximum belowground biomass carbon (9.43 t ha-1) which was statistically at par with silvipasture system (S5). The total carbon stored by vegetation in systems was highest at elevation E3 (35.50 t C ha-1ha-1) and it decreased significantly with decrease in elevation. In different systems, total carbon stored in systems decreased significantly in the order: S5 (44.62 t C ha-1ha-1) > S4 (40.99 t C ha-1ha-1) > S3 (39.48 t C ha-1ha-1) >S1 (31.56 t C ha-1ha-1) >S2 (30.29 t C ha-1ha-1) > S6 (2.46 t C ha-1ha-1). Mean soil organic carbon (2.22 %) was highest in agrihorticulture (S2) followed by agrihortisilviculture (S3) and grassland (S6). Maximum soil carbon density (53.45 t ha-1) was recorded in grassland that was followed by agrihortisilviculture, agrihorticulture, agrisilvihorticulture, agrisilviculture with their respective values 52.57, 51.88 and 50.02 t C ha-1, respectively. The net returns from agroforestry systems decreased, though statistically insignificant, in the order agrisilviculture system (277415.00 Rs. ha-l yr-1) > agrisilvihorticulture system (270747.00 Rs. ha-l yr-1) > agrihortisilviculture (269033.00 Rs. ha-l yr-1) > agrihortisilviculture (225880.30 Rs. ha-l yr-1) systems. The benefit-cost ratio in silvipasture system was significantly higher (3.34) than all other systems and it decreased in the order: S6 (2.53) > S4 (2.38) > S3 (2.17) > S1 (2.10) > S1 (1.87).encarbon, farming systems, biomass, area, agroforestry systems, grasslands, land resources, planting, wood, cropsThesis