Abstrakt: |
This study investigated the initial growth, survival rate, and biomass content of Khaya senegalensis in a pure plantation system and under an agroforestry system (AFS) with banana and corn. The experiment was carried out in Northeast Brazil and measurements were made when trees were 30 months old. Spacing was 3 × 2 m and 3.5 × 3.5 m in pure plantation and in AFS, respectively. Banana and corn amounted to roughly 816 and 28.000 plants per ha for pure and AFS, respectively. The survival rate (99.7 × 96.1%) and wood density (595 × 551 kg dm−3) showed no difference between both systems. Individual growth was similar between both systems (0.0068 m3 tree−1). However, at the stand scale, yield was higher in pure plantation with a mean annual increase of 3.07 m3 ha−1 year−1, which means 129% higher than in AFS (1.34 m3 ha−1 year−1). Nevertheless, AFS added 20 and 8 t ha−1 of banana and green corn. Aboveground biomass accumulated at 30 months was 144% higher in the pure plantation (7.11 × 2.92 t ha−1), mainly leaf biomass, which was 228% higher in relation to AFS. In long rotation silvicultural systems like those used for African mahogany, only 100–400 trees per hectare will remain until the end of the rotation. As there was no difference in individual growth between the two systems, the AFS could be a very interesting alternative to mitigate establishment costs and optimizing land use with the production of agricultural crops specially to small farmers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |