Research on Anogeissus pendula in India: A Review

Due to high pressure of animals and human, the grazing lands and forest land are deteriorating and are not able to supply adequate green, dry forages to livestock and timber, fuelwood for human in India. To overcome this problem, introduction of Anogeissus pendula is one of the alternative which is naturally found in dry tropical forest and dry mixed deciduous forest of Rajasthan, parts of Gujrat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh. In the present paper, efforts have been made to review the various aspects such as seed germination, vegetative propagation, establishment, growth, biomass production, insects and pests, nutritive value, performance in agroforestry systems, soil improvement etc. of the species. Available information indicate that A. pendula is suitable tree species with a wide range of adaptability and can be introduced in different systems of agroforestry specially silvopastoral system in rocky-gravelly land for enhancing the total biomass production and soil improvement.