Plant Diversity 43 (2021) 239e247 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Plant Diversity journal homepage: http://www.keaipublishing.com/en/journals/plant-diversity/ http://journal.kib.ac.cn Research paper An ethnobotanical study of forage plants in Zhuxi County in the Qinba mountainous area of central China Jun Yang a, Jifeng Luo a, Qiliang Gan d, Leiyu Ke a, Fengming Zhang c, Hairu Guo a, ** * Fuwei Zhao b, , Yuehu Wang a, c, a Key Laboratory of Economic Plants and Biotechnology, Yunnan Key Laboratory for Wild Plant Resource, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, China b Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences, Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Nanjing, 210042, China c Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Yunnan Key Laboratory for Fungal Diversity and Green Development, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, China d Zhuxi Qiliang Institute of Biology, Zhuxi, 442300, China article info abstract Article history: In the Qinba mountainous area of Central China, pig farming has a significant impact on the growth of the Received 30 April 2020 rural economy and has substantially increased farmer incomes. Traditional knowledge plays an important Received in revised form role in the selection of forage plant species for pig farming by local people. This study aimed to identify the 21 December 2020 forage plants used for pig feeding and to catalog indigenous knowledge regarding their use. During 2016 Accepted 27 December 2020 and 2017, ethnobotanical surveys and inventories were conducted in Zhuxi County, Hubei Province, China. Available online 4 January 2021 Data were collected using semi-structured interviews, key informant reports, free listings, guided field walks, and participatory observations with 77 households in 16 villages in 13 towns/townships. The ob- Keywords: Qinba mountainous area tained data were analyzed using a relative frequency citation (RFC) index. Overall, 145 wild forage plants Zhuxi county from 91 genera and 31 families were recorded. The most cited families were Asteraceae, Polygonaceae, Ethnobotany Urticaceae, Amaranthaceae, Fabaceae, Cruciferae, Caryophyllaceae, and Lamiaceae. Whole plants (75.9%) Traditional knowledge and tender leaves (12.4%) were the most frequently used parts of the plants. Most of the forage plants were Pig forage plants herbaceous (88.9%). Almost all forage plants could be collected throughout the year (62.7%). Raw and cooked were the two main preparation methods. The most frequently cited species were Taraxacum mongolicum, Bidens pilosa, Sonchus oleraceus, Pilea verrucosa, and Pilea pumila var. obtusifolia. A total of 14 species were identified as the top forage plants in Zhuxi County based on their RFC values (RFC value greater than 0.5). Local people possess rich traditional knowledge about the utilization and management of forage plants for pig feeding. However, the maintenance of this traditional knowledge may be seriously threatened by changes in pig feeding modes and the lack of successors. Appropriate strategies and action plans have been suggested for the conservation of traditional knowledge associated with biodiversity and the sustainable use of forage species resources. These include 1) taking targeted measures to protect forage resources and associated traditional knowledge; 2) strengthening research on the forage plants with the highest RFC values for nutritional value, digestibility, other functions, and ecological status; and 3) enhancing the identification of poisonous forage plants. Copyright © 2021 Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Publishing services by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of KeAi Communications Co. Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY- NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). 1. Introduction * Corresponding author. Key Laboratory of Economic Plants and Biotechnology, Yunnan Key Laboratory for Wild Plant Resource, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650201, China. China's small-scale pig farmers are the largest community of ** Corresponding author. pork producers in the world (Riedel et al., 2012). China's con- E-mail addresses: [email protected] (J. Yang), [email protected] sumption of meat, particularly pork, has increased tremendously as (J. Luo), [email protected] (Q. Gan), [email protected] (L. Ke), zhangfengming@ its economy has grown. Fifty to eighty percent of all pigs produced mail.kib.ac.cn (F. Zhang), [email protected] (H. Guo), [email protected] (F. Zhao), [email protected] (Y. Wang). in China originate from smallholder farms (Neo and Chen, 2009; Peer review under responsibility of Editorial Office of Plant Diversity. Geng et al., 2017). In rural areas, pig breeding plays a vital role in the https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pld.2020.12.008 2468-2659/Copyright © 2021 Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Publishing services by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of KeAi Communications Co. Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). J. Yang, J. Luo, Q. Gan et al. Plant Diversity 43 (2021) 239e247 local economy, especially in the vast mountainous areas of China. In (iii) identify the top-priority fodder plants for pig feeding, and (iv) these areas, arable land is limited, vehicle travel is inconvenient, provide appropriate suggestions for the conservation of biodiver- and local people still maintain traditional farming and animal sity and the sustainable use of forage species resources. husbandry practices to meet their daily food supply needs. Small- holder farmers rely on their observations and experience in feeding 2. Materials and methods and managing their livestock. The sustainable production of live- stock usually involves the efficient utilization of locally available 2.1. Study area resources, particularly feed resources (Geng et al., 2017). The Qinba mountainous area is located in central mainland This study was carried out in 16 villages located in the rural zone China, which is the transitional zone between the northern and around Zhuxi County (109290e109080E, 31310e32320N), Hubei southern climate regions in China. It is an important ecological Province, China (Fig. 1). All mountains in Zhuxi County are within barrier in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River and includes 76 the Daba Mountains. The county has 15 townships, and the whole counties (districts) in six provinces. In this area, the zonal climate county is approximately 51 km from east to the west and approx- spans two climatic zones: the northern subtropical zone and the imately 104 km from north to south. The area of the county is warm temperate zone. The elevation is very variable, the ecological 3310 km2. The highest elevation in the county is at Congping conditions are diverse, and the plants show an obvious vertical (2740 m) in the southwest, and the lowest elevation in the county is distribution. Many plants thrive in the complex and diverse cli- at Langningwang (276 m) in the northeast; there is a relative matic conditions in the Qinba Mountains. The Qinba Mountains are elevation difference of 2464 m between these locations (Gan, one of two key areas of biodiversity conservation (the Qinling 2005). The population living in Zhuxi is 99.8% ethnically Han Chi- Mountains and the Shengnongjia Forest region) in China (Xu et al., nese. Zhuxi County is one of the key floral distribution areas in 1997; Gong, 2006). Zhuxi County is located at the southern edge of Central China, and it is also an area where flora and vegetation the eastern section of the Qinling Mountains and the northern resources are well preserved in the northern subtropical region of slope of the eastern section of the Daba Mountains. Terrain China (Gan, 2005). Zhuxi has a great natural environment with a complexity determines the diversity of mountain climates and high level of biodiversity, where the local community has kept thereby determines species diversity. According to the survey of traditional pig farming with a long history. Gan (2005), there are 204 families, 1043 genera, and 3310 species of The economy of Zhuxi consists of traditional agriculture, vascular plants in this county. forestry, animal husbandry, and fishery, as well as industry. The Zhuxi County, which is a typical mountainous area that is local economy is dominated by traditional agriculture and forestry. difficult to access and has a limited connection to the outside world, Pig farming is often integrated with other agricultural activities; pig has been designated a national poverty-stricken county. A semi- manure is used to fertilize crops, and crop residues are in turn used self-sufficient model dominates the rural economy in this area. as pig feed (An et al., 2004). According to local surveys (Compilation According to official reports, animal husbandry in Zhuxi County Committee of Local Chronicles of Zhuxi County, 2014), there are accounts for approximately 30% of the total agricultural output, of three main modes of pig production: traditional small-scale which pig farming accounts for more than 80% of the total output household farming (70% of all production), professional farming value of animal husbandry. Small-scale household farming is (25%), and large-scale farming (5%). Traditional small-scale house- dominant, accounting for approximately 70% of pig farming hold farming is dominant in the countryside, where pigs are usually (Compilation