Seasonal and Altitudinal Variation in Chemical Composition of Celtis australis L. Tree Foliage

Bhupendra Singh, Munesh Kumar (), Marina M. S. Cabral-Pinto () and Bhagwati Prasad Bhatt
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Bhupendra Singh: Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, H.N.B. Garhwal University (A Central University), Srinagar Garhwal 249161, Uttarakhand, India
Munesh Kumar: Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, H.N.B. Garhwal University (A Central University), Srinagar Garhwal 249161, Uttarakhand, India
Marina M. S. Cabral-Pinto: GeoBioTec Research Centre, Department of Geosciences, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
Bhagwati Prasad Bhatt: Natural Resource Management Division, ICAR, KAB-II, Pusa, New Delhi 110012, India

Land, 2022, vol. 11, issue 12, 1-13

Abstract: Celtis australis is an important agroforestry tree in the Himalayan region providing major fodder to the livestock and many other needs for sustaining life in local rural communities. Including their fodder value and wide altitudinal distribution ranges, it is extracted by the villagers in large scale during the lean period (May to June). Thus, the aim was to understand the nutritive values of the species influenced by the altitude and harvesting season. For this investigation, leaves of C. australis were collected from four different altitudes during the months of February to December. The nutritive value of collected foliage, i.e., dry matter, ash, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, crude protein, crude fiber, starch, sugar, and phenolic were estimated by using stranded methods. The results of present study reveal that significant seasonal variations have been observed for the chemical composition of C. australis tree foliage collected from different altitudes. On an average, between seasons, crude protein ranged from 9.17 to 16.97%, phosphorus 0.08 to 0.16%, potassium 0.28 to 0.76%, crude fiber 13.94 to 19.80%, sugars 1.11 to 1.83%, and starch 4.79 to 6.53%. Altitude also significantly influenced nutritive content. Between altitudes, phosphorus ranged from 0.10 to 0.11%, potassium 0.42 to 0.50%, crude protein 12.66 to 14.02%, crude fiber 1.61 to 1.71%, sugars 1.45 to 1.66%, starch 4.71 to 6.31%, and phenolic 0.43 to 0.78%. Potassium, calcium, crude protein, and starch were significantly positively correlated with altitude of foliage collection. However, dry matter content, phosphorus, and soluble sugars, significantly correlated inversely with altitude.

Keywords: Celtis australis; altitude; nutritive value; composition change (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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