Life-Form and Primary Productivity of An Indian Grassland Community

<strong>ABSTRACT</strong> The life-form and primary productivity of a grassland community located at Rangamatia of Mayurbhanj district, Odisha (21⁰ 56' N; 86⁰ 41' E). The floristic composition of the grassland community comprised of 36 species (15 were grasses and 21 were non - grasses). <em>Cynodon dactylon, Digitaria abludens</em>, <em>Eleusine indica</em>, <em>Vetiveria zizanioides</em> among the grasses and <em>Phyllanthus</em> <em>fraternus</em> and <em>Sida cordifolia</em> among the non-grasses were found dominant during the study period. The life-form of the community consisted of the class Chamaephytes 27.78%, Hemicryptophytes 25%, Cryptophytes (Geophytes) 16.67% and the Therophyte 30.55%. Phanerophytes were found to be absent. The annual grass production was found to be 3289.53 g m^-2 yr^-1. The non-grass production showed maximum in the month of June (868.55 g…