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EFFECT OF MODIFICATION OF TREE DENSITY AND GEOMETRY ON INTERCROP YIELDS AND ECONOMIC RETURNS IN LEUCAENA-BASED AGRO-FORESTRY SYSTEMS FOR WOOD PRODUCTION IN ANDHRA PRADESH, SOUTHERN INDIA

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Title EFFECT OF MODIFICATION OF TREE DENSITY AND GEOMETRY ON INTERCROP YIELDS AND ECONOMIC RETURNS IN LEUCAENA-BASED AGRO-FORESTRY SYSTEMS FOR WOOD PRODUCTION IN ANDHRA PRADESH, SOUTHERN INDIA
EFFECT OF MODIFICATION OF TREE DENSITY AND GEOMETRY ON INTERCROP YIELDS AND ECONOMIC RETURNS IN LEUCAENA-BASED AGRO-FORESTRY SYSTEMS FOR WOOD PRODUCTION IN ANDHRA PRADESH, SOUTHERN INDIA
 
Creator ICAR_CRIDA
 
Subject TREE DENSITY, GEOMETRY, INTERCROP YIELDS, ECONOMIC RETURNS, LEUCAENA, AGRO-FORESTRY SYSTEMS, WOOD PRODUCTION
 
Description Not Available
Leucaena leucocephala is cultivated at close spacings that do not permit intercropping. This has been a
discouraging factor for small landholders who need regular income to establish leucaena plantations and
benefit from the rapidly expanding market for wood. Therefore, on-farm experiments were conducted
near Bhadrachalam, Khammam district, Andhra Pradesh, India, from August 2001 to January 2006,
to study the effect of reducing tree density and modifying tree geometry on the growth of leucaena
and productivity of intercrops. The inter-row spacing of 1.3 m in farmers’ practice was increased up
to 13 m to examine whether wide-row planting and grouping of certain rows would facilitate extended
intercropping without sacrificing wood yield. Tree density treatments tried were 1.3 × 1.3 m, 3 × 0.75 m,
3 × 1 m, 5 × 0.8 m and 3 × 2 m which gives densities of 5919, 4444, 3333, 2500 and 1666 trees ha−1,
respectively. Tree geometry treatments tested were 7 × 1 m paired row spacing (7 × 1 PR), 10 × 1 m
triple row spacing (10 × 1 TR), and 13 × 1 m four rows (13 × 1 FR) with a constant tree population
of 2500 trees ha−1. Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) was the intercrop. While changes in tree density affected
diameter at breast height (DBH) significantly, modification of tree geometry did not affect tree height and
DBH. Marketable wood and dry biomass productivity was highest with 3 × 0.75 m spacing, and reducing
tree density and alteration of tree geometry reduced the biomass considerably. In 2001, 2002 and 2003
seasons, respectively, tree spacing at 3 m produced mean yields of 97, 23 and 11% of the sole crop cowpea
yield whereas modified tree geometry treatments produced mean yields of 97, 61 and 20% of sole crop
yield. The widest spacing (13 × 1 FR) recorded 95, 73 and 30% of the sole crop yields during 2001,
2002 and 2003, respectively. Net returns from intercropping of leucaena in 3 × 0.75 m spacing was 36%
higher than that of the farmers’ practice. Although wider tree geometry treatments recorded lower net
returns, they provided higher intercrop yields and returns in the first two years of plantation establishment.
Therefore, it can be concluded that in regions where annual rainfall is around 1000 mm, leucaena can
be planted at a spacing of 3 × 0.75 m for improving intercrop performance, higher tree productivity and
returns.
Not Available
 
Date 2020-02-25T09:55:32Z
2020-02-25T09:55:32Z
2010
 
Type Technical Report
 
Identifier Not Available
Not Available
http://krishi.icar.gov.in/jspui/handle/123456789/33024
 
Language English
 
Relation Not Available;
 
Publisher J. V. N. S. PRASAD†, K. V. RAO, K. SRINIVAS, C. A. RAMA RAO, CH. SRINIVASARAO, B. VENKATESWARLU