Plant Diversity Assessment and Traditional Knowledge Documentation of Home Gardens in Parit Raja, Batu Pahat, Johor

Abstract

Abstract Home gardens act as an important ex situ conservation for biodiversity. While many home gardens are based on traditional knowledge system, the erosion of traditional knowledge posts serious challenges to the preservation and conservation of plant diversity. Therefore, this study aimed to document ethnobotanical knowledge of cultivated plants and to assess their species diversity in the selected home gardens. A total of 50 home gardens in the center of Parit Raja, Johor were selected and the plant uses were documented using semi-structured questionnaires. In total, 127 plant species belonging to 55 families were recorded from the study area. Euphorbiaceae had the highest number of species (12), followed by the families of Rutaceae (8), and Zingiberaceae (6). The most cited plant species were Codiaeum sp. (35), Cymbopogan citratus (30), and Capsicum annuum (27). Of the recorded plant species, 51% were used as sources of food, 31% as ornamentals, 27% as medicinal, and 1% as dye and in ritual. The study shows that properly managed home gardens have high productivity and sustainability which help in conserving plant diversity, traditional knowledge, and food sufficiency.