Floristic Composition of Early Recovery Vegetation of Traditional Shifting Cultivated Areas of Kurung-Kumey District of Arunachal Pradesh

Abstract

Shifting cultivation is a major form of agricultural practice in Kurungkumey district of Arunachal Pradesh, India. Conventional agricultural practices are virtually absent in the district as terrain is mountainous. The present paper deals with the floristic composition of the early recovering plants in four shifting cultivated areas of Kurung-kumey district. Four demarcated plots each in Sangram, Palin, Nyapin and Sarlee circle was considered for the floristic inventory. Three different community functional groups viz. tree, shrub and ground vegetation (herb) were considered. The study resulted in documentation of total 216 species belonging 64 families and 58 genera flowering plants in the secondary succession area. The number of species encountered in each plot was 155, 126,148 and 150 respectively. Results indicated that only a few families viz, Poaceae, Asteraceae and Rubiaceae were dominated in the early recovery vegetation of shifting cultivation. Also the occurrences of deciduous species are in high percentagein the early recovery community as compared to the natural secondary forests of the region.