International Journal of Agricultural

Science and Research (IJASR)

ISSN(P): 2250-0057; ISSN(E): 2321-0087
Vol. 6, Issue 5, Oct 2016, 347-352
TJPRC Pvt. Ltd

INFLUENCE OF URBANIZATION ON AGRO BIODIVERSITY: A STUDY

IN BANGALORE RURAL URBAN CONGLOMERATE
MOHAMMAD NAZIM SAKANDARI, M. H. GIRIPRASAD, M. H. GOPIKA,
S. HATTAPPA & A. N. SRINGESWARA
University of Agricultural Sciences, GKVK, Bangalore, Karnataka, India
ABSTRACT
Agroforesty is considered a promising alternative to conventional agriculture that can both conserve
bio-diversity and support local livelihoods. Multiple cropping systems may be particularly important for conservation of
biodiversity, especially species of conservation concern. Here, we examined whether multiple cropping system supports
higher diversity of species native to nearby forest areas. Our results clearly indicate the hypothesis, that multiple
cropping systems support the higher biodiversity and it majorly of native and naturalized species. Such cropping systems
could be effectively used as alternative measure in conserving the species of conservation concern. In turn, this higher
diversity also supports the farming community for their additional livelihood supplement.

Received: Sep 22, 2016; Accepted: Oct 07, 2016; Published: Oct 14, 2016; Paper Id.: IJASROCT201642

INTRODUCTION
Agricultural biodiversity or in short agrobiodiversity can be regarded as a subset of biodiversity that is in

Original Article

KEYWORDS: Agrobiodiversity, Urbanization, Bangalore, Phytodiversity

and around farmlands. It is the outcome of the interactions among genetic resources, the environment and the
management practices. Agrobiodiversity, in general, is the plant genetic resource for food and agriculture
production. It has an important role to meet the demand for food resources of a growing population (Thrupp 1998).
Urban, peri-urban and rural food systems are increasingly important to the food and nutrition security of cities, as
rural farm communities will continue to supply much of the food for most urban populations. In the back ground,
the present study was conducted with the objectives to assess the agrobiodiversity along the urban and rural
gradients around Bangalore.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The study area selected for the present study are three villages in Bangalore urban and rural districts,
along the Bangalore Ghati road, a major track that witnesses housing industrialization, institutions, farming
(traditional), contemporary and commercial practices. The first village was Rajanukunte situated in the north of
Bangalore and about 10 km from GKVK Campus and in close proximity with urban area; this was considered
urban site. The second was Hadonahalli village, which is situated in the semi-urban area having both intensive
farming and some traditional farming practice; this considered as peri-urban site. The third village was located
adjacent to the town of Doddaballapur, away from Bangalore urban limits; this site with traditional farming
practices was considered as rural site.

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348

Mohammad Nazim Sakandari, M. H. Giriprasad,

M. H. Gopika, S. Hattappa & A. N. Sringeswara

In order to have fair representation of three systems, stratified random sampling procedures were followed. In each system,
three quadrats were been laid and the cropping systems noted down with different crops grown.
Vegetation Sampling
Three sample plots of the size 100 x 100 m were laid in each sampling site to study the impact on urbanization on
agro-biodiversity. All the trees with gbh 30 cm (girth at breast height, i.e., 1.37 m from the ground) were enumerated in
the entire 100 x 100 m plot with their girth and height. Shrubs were enumerated in two 10 x 10 m subplots laid in opposite
corner of the large plot with their number and collar girth. Herbaceous species including climbers were recorded in four 1 x
1 m subplots of four corners of the main plot. The sample plots were marked with nylon threads and corners were
demarcated with wooden pegs and tied with red ribbon for easy visibility.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

A total of 94 different species have been recorded in the all the three study sites, including trees, shrubs and
herbaceous elements representing 57 families with an average of 42.67 species (range 36 48 species).
Out of the 94 species 36 were trees, 15 were shrubs including woody lianas and 43 were herbs including
herbaceous climbers. Among the three study sites, rural site has highest number of species with 48 species followed by
peri-urban site with 44 species and lowest in urban site with 36 species. The same trend was also noticed with respect to
trees, shrubs and herbs in all the three sampling sites with little variations. We found more number of herbs in urban and
peri-urban site and also in more number of herbs in urban comparative to rural site.
Highest Shannon-Wiener diversity index were observed in rural site with a mean index value of 4.05 and lowest
in urban site with a mean index value of 3.78. Similar pattern were also observed for Simpson index. Whereas the evenness
index was highest in per-urban (mean index value of 0.96) site followed by rural and in urban site (0.94 each).
Total density and basal area was also highest in rural site with 91 individuals and 3.43 m ha-1, respectively
compared to other two sampling sites. All the above results were summarized in the Table 1.
Table 1: Floristic Structure of Three Sampling Sites in the Study Area

With respect to floristic richness, among the three sampling sites, rural sampling site has highest species diversity
and richness and dominance of species is shared by many species and also of native species. In other two sampling sites, it
Impact Factor (JCC): 4.8136

NAAS Rating: 3.53

Influence of Urbanization on Agro Biodiversity: A Study in Bangalore Rural Urban Conglomerate

349

is dominated by few species and mostly of exotic species. Similar study with the meta-analysis of the publication of
agrobiodiversity revealed that about 30% more species richness and 50% more abundance of species in organic farming
system practicing away from the urban areas compared to the intensive farming around the urban areas
(Bengtsson et al., 2005).
Tree Component
Importance value index reveals that in urban site Azadirachta indica was the dominant species with an IVI of
67.92 followed by Eucalyptus camaldulensis (IVI of 62.2) and Casuarina equisetifolia (IVI of 30.07). In peri-urban site,
Eucalyptus camaldulensis was the dominant species with an IVI of 40.28 followed by Tectona grandis (IVI of 32.83) and
Artocarpus heterophyllus (IVI of 25.74). In rural site, Cocos nucifera was the dominant tree species with an IVI of 40.22
followed by Azadirachta indica (IVI of 39.63) and Grevillea robusta (IVI of 28.13). In urban site five dominant species
shared the 65% of the total IVI. Whereas, in peri-urban site the dominant five species shared about 45% of the total IVI. In
rural site 52% of the total IVI was shared by the five dominant species.
Shrub Component
Only rural site showed more number of shrubby species compared to other two sites. In urban site shrub species
were found and the Lanatana camara was the dominant species covering 65% of the total IVI. In peri-urban site, only five
species of shrubs were found growing among them Citrus limon and Cassia auriculata were the dominant species and they
shared 57% of the total IVI. Whereas in rural site, 12 shrubby species were found growing and there also Lantana camara
was the dominant species followed by Tabernaemontana alternifolia and Hibiscus rosa-sinensis. These three shared about
43% of the total IVI.
Herb Component
Highest number herbaceous species were noticed urban site, where an exotic weedy species Parthenium
hysterophorus was the dominant herb followed by Alternanthera sessilis and Calyptocarpus vialis. In peri-urban site
Calyptocarpus vialis, an exotic species was the dominant followed by Alysicarpus monilifer and Celosia argentea.
However in rural site Eleusine indica, wild relative of ragi, was the dominant species followed by Coriandrum sativum and
Malvastrum coromandelianum.
Economic Value
Out of recorded species, 84 species have various economical values, which are used by the farmers. Of the
economically important species, medicinal plant ranked first with 70 species (48.28%) followed by 28 species (19.31%) of
Gums & Resins value and 11 species (7.59%) each of fodder and timber value (Figure 1). Out of 70 medicinal species
recorded in the study sites, the rural and peri-urban sites accounted for 36 species each and 25 species from urban site. For
all other uses rural site accounted for maximum number of species followed by peri-urban and urban sites except for gums
and resins, where peri-urban sites accounted for 16 species compared to rural site with 15 species. In present scenario,
timber and oil yielding species is found to be the major component that generates income to some extent and other uses are
for their livelihood subsistence. Similar studies conducted in Naban river watershed, China, where NTFPs like bamboo
shoots and medicinal plants yield little income to them, many of the villagers collecting the same for their livelihood
subsistence (Dahaneh, 2012, Moinuddin and Xie, 2009). Higher usage of plants as medicine in an agrobiodiversity system
was also observed in home garden agrobiodiversity system in Kanykmari district, India (Paul and Jeeva, 2013).
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350

Mohammad Nazim Sakandari, M. H. Giriprasad,

M. H. Gopika, S. Hattappa & A. N. Sringeswara

Figure 1: Economic Values of Species Found in all the Three Sampling Sites
REFERENCES
1.

BENGTSSON, J., AHNSTRM, J., AND WEIBULL, C,A. 2005. The effects of organic agriculture on biodiversity and
abundance: a meta-analysis Jou. of App. Eco, 42: 261269

2.

DAHANEH, A. G. 2012. Agrobiodiversity and its use in Naban River Watershed National Nature Reserve: implications for
bio-cultural diversity conservation. Ph. D. thesis submitted to University of Hohenheim.

3.

MOINUDDIN, H. AND XIE, J. 2009. Ecosystem Services Valuation as a Basis for Promoting Policies Conducive to PES and
Climate Change Mitigation in Xishuangbanna, Southern Yunnan, China. In: International Conference on Sustainable Land
use and Ecosystem Conservation, 4-7 May 2009, Beijing, P.R. China.

4.

PAUL, Z. M. AND S. JEEVA. 2013. Agrobiodiversity in the Homegardens of Chirakkarai Village, Kanyakumari District,
Tamilnadu, India. Indian Forester, 11: 1003-1011.

5.

THRUPP, L. A. 1998, Cultivating diversity. Agrobiodiversity and food security. World Resources Institute, Washington DC, 80
p. http://pdf.wri.org/cultivatingdiversity_bw.pdf. Accessed 13 Jul 2012.

APPENDICES
Table 2: Importance Value Index of Top Five Species of Trees, Shrubs and Herbs in Three Sampling Sites
Urban
Species
Azadirachta indica
Eucalyptus
camaldulensis
Casuarina equisetifolia
Cordia obliqua
Santalum album
Lantana camara
Solanum erianthum

Parthenium
hysterophorus
Alternanthera sessilis
Impact Factor (JCC): 4.8136

22.64

Sampling Sites
Peri-urban
Species
IVI
Tree Component
Eucalyptus camaldulensis
13.43

Cocos nucifera

40.22

20.73

Tectona grandis

10.94

Azadirachta indica

39.63

10.02
6.54
5.70

Grevillea robusta
Tamarindus indica
Moringa oleifera

28.13
26.26
22.05

192.53
107.47

Artocarpus heterophyllus
8.58
Cassia fistula
6.53
Acacia catechu
5.83
Shrub Component
Citrus limon
33.54
Cassia auriculata
23.56
Lantana camara
16.78
Erythroxylum monogynum
14.90
Murraya koenigii
11.22
Herb Component

Lantana camara
Tabernaemontana alternifolia
Unidentified
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis
Phyllanthus reticulatus

56.25
40.98
32.91
32.35
21.22

16.99

Calyptocarpus vialis

28.89

Eleusine indica

27.69

16.03

Alysicarpus monilifer

17.78

Coriandrum sativum

21.03

IVI

Rural
Species

IVI

NAAS Rating: 3.53

Influence of Urbanization on Agro Biodiversity: A Study in Bangalore Rural Urban Conglomerate

Calyptocarpus vialis
Eleusine indica
Aristida hystrix

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15.71
15.71
14.10

Table 2: Contd.,
Celosia argentea
15.93
Oxalis corniculata
15.93
Cassia tora
14.07

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Malvastrum coromandelianum
Lagascea mollis
Dinebra retroflexa

19.36
17.69
16.03

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