Effect of lopping intensity on Prosopis cineraria leaf fodder production in Thar Desert Jabrinder Singh 1 *, Mukul Bishnoi 2 1 Dept. of Applied Sciences, HIET, Kaithal - 136 027, (INDIA) 2 Dept. of Environment Science Engineering, G.J.U. (S&T), Hisar - 125 001, (INDIA) Email- jschahar@gmail.com Received: 4 th January, 2010 ; Accepted: 14 th January, 2010 Short Communication Agroforestry; Fodder; Khejri; Lopping; Prosopis cineraria. KEYWORDS ABSTRACT Prosopis cineraria (L.) Druce is extensively lopped for fodder by farmers in the arid and semi arid areas of Rajasthan and Haryana. Generally, com- plete lopping is practiced. The effect of different lopping intensities on the leaf fodder yield of this species has been studied and the results are re- ported in the present paper. Based on the above study, it can be concluded that the fodder yield was generally more from the trees that are lopped annually as compared to those lopped once in two years or once in three years. It was also observed that, the yield of forage increases as the tree girth increases. The results obtained led to the conclusion that Prosopis cineraria trees should be lopped annually to gain maximum fodder yield. It can also be concluded that the trees with an optimum girth (girth>60cms) should be lopped for higher returns in the form of fodder production.  2010 Trade Science Inc. - INDIA INTRODUCTION Agroforestry systems based on Prosopis cineraria have been acknowledged as some of the most suc- cessful in the Indian subcontinent and the tree s role in meeting present and future requirements of fuelwood, food, fodder, small timber and environmental protec- tion is well recognized. Prosopis cineraria (L.) Druce (Khejri) is a key stone tree species of arid agro eco- systems in Thar Desert. P.cineraria is the most widely grown tree in the Indian desert because its leaves and fruits have high fodder value. Trees of Prosopis ciner- aria are frequently lopped by villagers in Rajasthan and western Haryana to obtain the leaves for animal fod- der. It supplies the bulk of the leaf fodder to cattle, camels and goats [1] . This tree is heavily lopped in sea- sons when no other green fodder is available. This leads to lower fodder yields in the subsequent season. Through lopping, the farmers get green leaves as fodder for their cattle and small branches as fuelwood. This particular tree species is preferred by farmers in Rajasthan who practise agroforestry and the trees are generally lopped twice in drought years. Although some of the tree spe- cies such as P.cineraria, Acacia nilotica, Azadirachta indica and Zizyphus nummularia are extensively lopped by the villagers, scientific information is lacking for most of the species. The main reasons for this minimal litera- ture base are twofold: the emphasis on raising fodder Trade Science Inc. Volume 4 Issue 1 March 2010 BioSciences Research & Reviews in BioSciences RRBS, 4(1), 2010 [1-3] ISSN : 0974 - 7532