EVALUATION OF NUTRITIONAL COMPOSITION OF PLANT SPECIES OF SOONE VALLEY IN PUNJAB, PAKISTAN

The key component for global sustainability is plant diversity, an essential for living sources on this planet. An investigation was carried out in the Soone Valley, Punjab, Pakistan to determine the nutritional value of plant diversity in relation to requirements of grazing ruminants therein. Various parameters such as moisture content, crude protein, mineral matter, fat fiber content, dry matter, nitrogen free extractable substances, and net energy were evaluated in this investigation. Results showed that various plant species studied exhibited fluctuation in all parameters in this valley. Correlation studies also indicated that various parameters showed negative as well as positive significant relationships with various parameters of soil in this valley. The information will be useful in further conservation program. A. farnesiana was negatively correlated (-0.335) with protein and mineral matter (-0.048). Significant correlations of different plant species regarding nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium (NPK) were recorded with net energy. Various variables studied in this investigation demonstrated their importance to be used in further conservation, research, and grazing livestock programs.