Some Ecological Aspects of Improvement and Management of Sewan (LasiurusSindicus) Rangelands

Abstract

Natural pastures of Sewan grass (Lasiurus sindicus and L. ecaudatus) mainly provide fodder to live stock in the extreme north-west dry regions of Rajasthan desert. These rangelands are in a bad shape and in a depleted condition, due to overgrazing and lack of management practices. Distribution of these rangelands has shown that they occupy mainly the districts of Barmer, Bikaner and Jaisalmer and roughly follow an isohyte of about 250 mm. Light textured sandy soils of undulating and hummocky plains with low fertility status support these rangelands. The seeds are dimorphic, percentage germination decreases with the increasing concentration of salts. Husked seeds when sown in different soil types showed maximum germination and growth on older .alluvium soils. In a sown pasture, Lasiurus sindicus produces 3.99 g/unit/per day of above ground biomass while the average dry matter production is 13.2 quintals per hect, in 1968. If calculated on a carrying capacity basis it comes to about 3 hect per adult cattle on year long basis. Problems of Sewan range improvement have been discussed and suggestions for its improvement and management have been made based on these studies.