Abstract
This paper reports a study of paddy vegetation in central Laos. Plants were inventoried and vegetation types classified. Relationships between vegetation and agricultural practices were identified. A total of 184 wild herbaceous species and 17 cultivated species were recorded in two villages. Of the wild species, 19 were used by local people, four were rare species, and three were major weeds. Paddy vegetation was arranged in order of water regime from shorter to longer hydroperiod by DCA. The factors contributing to high species diversity were: (1) the presence of species unique to different paddy types; (2) the presence of remnant species from original vegetation; and (3) the impact of agricultural practices. Thus, at this study site, multiple plant species coexisted in paddy fields under various agricultural practices, and some species were essential sources of food or were used in other ways to support the subsistence livelihoods of local residents.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Literature Cited
Bambaradeniya, C.N.B., J.P. Edirisinghe, D.N. De Silva, C.V.S. Gunatilleke, K.B. Ranawana, and S. Wijekoon. 2004. Biodiversity associated with an irrigated rice agro-ecosystem in Sri Lanka. Biodiversity and Conservation 13: 1715–1753.
Chandrasena, J.P.N.R. 1988. Floristic composition and abundance of rice-field weeds in four lowcountry wet zone districts of Sri Lanka. Tropical Pest Management 34:278–287.
Daconto, G., ed. 2001. Siphandone wetlands. CESVI, Bergamo, Italy.
Datta, S.C., and A.K. Banerjee. 1978. Useful weeds of west Bengal rice fields. Economic Botany 32:297–310.
Fiedler, P.L., and S.K. Jain, eds. 1992. Conservation biology: The theory and practice of nature conservation, preservation, and management. Chapman and Hall, New York.
Gall, G.A.E., and G.H. Orians. 1992. Agriculture and biological conservation. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 42:1–8.
Gopal, B., and M. Sah. 1995. Inventory and classification of wetlands in India. Vegetatio 118:39–48.
Goslee, S.C., R.P. Brooks, and C.A. Cole. 1997. Plants as indicators of wetland water source. Plant Ecology 131:199–206.
Harada, J., H. Shibayama, and H. Morita. 1993. Weeds in the tropics. AICAF, Tokyo, Japan.
HEAR. (Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk Project). 2004. A global compendium of weeds. http://www.hear.org/gcw. Accessed on December 19, 2004.
Heckman, C.W. 1974. The seasonal succession of species in a rice paddy in Vientiane, Laos. Internationale Revue Der Gesamten Hydrobiologie 59:489–507.
Hill, M.O. 1994. DECORANA and TWINSPAN, for ordination and classification of multivariate species data: A new edition, together with supporting programs, in FORTRAN77. Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, Huntingdon, England. Ho, P. 1999-2000. An illustrated flora of Vietnam. Nha xuat ban tre, Hanoi.
Ikeda, R., and R. Miura. 2002. Tsurugashi nakaikemi no shitsudennoukou to zetsumetsukigu syokubutsu. Noukou no Gijutsu to Bunka 23:43–72 (in Japanese).
Jain, S.K. 2000. Human aspects of plant diversity. Economic Botany 54:459–470.
Kasahara, Y. 1954. Studies on the species of the weeds in Japan and their geographical distribution 5. Nogaku Kenkyu 42:97–113 (in Japanese).
— 1959. Studies on the species of the weeds in Japan and their geographical distribution 6. Nogaku Kenkyu 47:123–140 (in Japanese).
Lu, J. 1995. Ecological significance and classification of Chinese wetlands. Vegetatio 118:49–56.
Marshall, E.J.P., V.K. Brown, N.D. Boatman, P.J.W. Lutman, G.R. Squire, and L.K. Ward. 2003. The role of weeds in supporting biological diversity within crop fields. Weed Research 43:77–89.
Mitsch, W.J., and J.G. Gosselink. 2000. Wetlands. John Wiley and Sons, New York.
NOF1P. (National Office of Forest Inventory and Planning). 1992. Forest cover and land use in Lao PDR: Final report on the nationwide reconnaissance survey. Lao-Swedish Forestry Co-operation Programme, Lao PDR.
Ohtaki, M., and T. Ishido. 1980. Illustrated Japanese water plants. Hokuryukan, Tokyo, Japan.
Pielou, E.C. 1966. The measurement of diversity in different types of biological collections. Journal of Theoretical Biology 13:131–144.
Pimentel, D., U. Stachow, D.A. Takacs, H.W. Brubaker, A.R. Dumas, J.J. Meaney, J.A.S. O’Neil, D. E. Onsi, and D.B. Corzilius. 1992. Conserving biological diversity in agricultural/ forestry systems. Bioscience 42:354–362.
Pinder, L., and S. Rosso. 1998. Classification and ordination of plant formations in the Pantanal of Brazil. Plant Ecology 136:151–165.
Santisuk, T., and K. Larsen, eds. 1997–2002. Flora of Thailand. The Forest Herbarium, Royal Forest Department, Bangkok, Thailand.
Shannon, C.E., and W. Weaver. 1949. The mathematical theory of communication. University of Illinois Press, Urbana, Illinois.
Shimizu, T., ed. 2003. Naturalized plants of Japan. Heibonsha, Tokyo, Japan.
Shimoda, M. 2003. Suidennno seibutsu wo yomigaeraseru. Iwanamishoten, Tokyo, Japan (in Japanese).
Simpson, E.H. 1949. Measurement of diversity. Nature 163:688.
Sisouphanthong, B., and C. Taillard. 2000. Atlas of Laos—The spatial structures of economic and social development of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic. The Nordic Institute of Asian Studies (NIAS), Copenhagen, Denmark.
Smitinand, T., and K. Larsen, eds. 1970–1996. Flora of Thailand. The Forest Herbarium, Royal Forest Department, Bangkok, Thailand.
Tomita, S., E. Nawata, Y. Kono, T. Inamura, Y. Nagata, C. Noichana, and A. Sributta. 2003a. Impact of direct dry seeding on rainfed paddy vegetation in north-east Thailand. Weed Biology and Management 3:68–76.
—, E. Nawata, Y. Kono, Y. Nagata, C. Noichana, A. Sributta, and T. Inamura. 2003b. Differences in weed vegetation in response to cultivating methods and water conditions in rainfed paddy fields in north-east Thailand. Weed Biology and Management 3:117–127.
UNDP. 1998. Socio-economic profile of Savannakhet Province. UNDP, Vientiane, Lao PDR.
Weerakoon, W.L., and S.D.I.E. Gunewardena. 1983. Rice field weed flora of Sri Lanka. Tropical Agriculturist 139:1–14.
Yamaguchi, H., and S. Umemoto. 1996. Classification of paddy levees in terms of plant resource complex. Weed Research, Japan 41:286–294 (in Japanese with English summary).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kosaka, Y., Takeda, S., Sithirajvongsa, S. et al. Plant diversity in paddy fields in relation to agricultural practices in Savannakhet Province, Laos. Econ Bot 60, 49–61 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1663/0013-0001(2006)60[49:PDIPFI]2.0.CO;2
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1663/0013-0001(2006)60[49:PDIPFI]2.0.CO;2