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Desertification and rangeland management in India
mopane and Zizyphus nummularia showed 28 to 35% survival. Maximum height was
recorded in the case of A. tortilis (291 cm) followed by A. indica (240 cm) and A. sen-
egal (175 cm) and lowest in P. cineraria (77 cm). Collar diameter recorded in A. tor-
tilis, A. indica and A. senegal was 8.21, 6.88 and 4.46 cm respectively.
Dry forage yield of Cenchrus setigerus in the interspaces between the trees was
2020 kg/ha in the plots of A. tortilis and 2500 kg/ha in A. indica. Dry forage yield of
grass under other tree species ranged from 2750 to 2980 kg/ha as against 3000 kg/ha
under pure pasture without trees. Cenchrus ciliaris (CAZRI-75) and Cenchrus seti-
gerus (CAZRI-175) were sown between rows of neem (Azadirachta indica), subabool
(Leucaena leucocephala) and Israeli babool (Acacia tortilis) planted in 1988 at 5 m x
5 m spacing. The growth of trees were reduced, but growth of grasses were better un-
der the system. The fodder yield was more under Azadirachta indica as compared to
grass under Leucaena leucocephala and Acacia tortilis (Anonymous 1993) (Table 4).
Table 4. Yield of forage (kg/ha) under different tree species. (Source: Annual Report of CAZRI, Jodhpur, 1992-93).
Tree species Cenchrus ciliaris Cenchrus setigerus
Control (without any tree) 2570 2100
Azadirachta indica 4350 3430
Leucaena leucocephala 3100 2570
Acacia tortilis 2720 2950
Acacia leucophloea, A. auriculiformis, A. nilotica, A. senegal, A. tortilis, Albizzia
lebbeck, Cassia siamea, Dalbergia sissoo, Derris indica, Parkinsonia aculeata,
Prosopis cineraria and P. chilensis are some important multipurpose nitrogen fixing
trees recommended for silvipasture and rangéland development in the Thar desert (Si-
vaji et al. 1993). Under the rangeland development scheme, controlled and rotational
grazing has been introduced. Some of the areas have been reseeded with perennial and
nutritive grasses like Cenchrus ciliaris, Cenchrus setigerus, Dichanthium annulatum
and Lasiurus sindicus.
Significant achievement has been made in the mass production of nutritive fodder
‘sewan grass’ (Lasiurus sindicus) for the desert livestock. This revolutionary grass,
besides contributing in the development of good rangeland in the Thar desert, has sig-
nificantly helped in stabilizing the blowing sand dunes and expansion of the desert
(Sinha 1996). In the Jaisalmer district of Thar desert, schemes have been launched for
the cultivation of green fodder in 200 ha, pasture development in 3,000 ha, and the
establishment of one hundred ‘wood lots’ and ‘nurseries’.
Village grazing lands and protected fodder lands in the Thar desert
In the earlier days, each and every desert settlement had well guarded common prop-
erty land resource such as good pasture land called ‘gochar\ and natural woodland
called ‘oran’. The ‘orans’ (Forests of God) were designated to honour village diety or
saint and are preserved meticulously on socio-religious grounds. It is like a mini ‘bio-
sphere’ reserve for the village and the propagules released from gochars and orans