Canopy management, leaf fall and litter quality of dominant tree species in the banana agroforestry system in Uganda
| Autor: | Jerome Kubiriba, Godfrey Kagezi, S. Mpiira, Kenneth Nyombi, Charles Staver, Wilberforce Tushemereirwe, Eldad Karamura, S Byabagambi, G. Ssebulime |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2018 |
| Předmět: |
Canopy
biology Agroforestry ved/biology ved/biology.organism_classification_rank.species 04 agricultural and veterinary sciences Plant litter biology.organism_classification Albizia 01 natural sciences Shrub 0104 chemical sciences 010404 medicinal & biomolecular chemistry 040103 agronomy & agriculture Litter 0401 agriculture forestry and fisheries Tree species canopy management leaf fall nutrient concentrations soil fertility Soil fertility Pruning Ficus natalensis |
| Zdroj: | African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development; Vol 18, No 1 (2018) |
| ISSN: | 1684-5374 1684-5358 |
| DOI: | 10.18697/ajfand.81.16700 |
| Popis: | Small-scale farmers in the banana-coffee agro-zone of Central Uganda plant and maintain trees to provide a range of benefits. However, the impact of trees on soil fertility and crop yields is small. On many farms, trees exist in infinite numbers, compositions, with no proper spacing, sequencing and canopy management recommendations. The objectives of this study were to: quantify and compare leaf fall and leaf litter biomass for the dominant tree species subjected to different pruning regimes and during different seasons and determine the nutrient concentrations in leaf litter materials in order to assess their potential to improve soil fertility. A survey was conducted on 30 randomly selected farms to examine and document the tree species. Four tree species were dominant; Ficus natalensis (15.3%), Albizia coriaria (10.2%), Artocarpus heterophyllus (10.0%) and Mangifera indica (9.2%). Experiments such as canopy pruning, collecting leaf fall and weights of pruned leaf biomass were established for the four dominant trees on five randomly selected farms. A total of 120 trees were subjected to three pruning regimes (0%, 25% and 50%). Litter traps (1 m × 1 m) were placed 2 m from the tree trunk to collect falling leaves. Leaf biomass was collected from pruned branches and eighed. Leaf samples were collected from pruned leaves and a composite sample analysed for carbon and nutrient concentrations. Results showed that 40 tree and shrub species belonging to 21 families existed on farms. Leaf fall was highest in the dry season and A. Heterophyllus registered the highest amount. Leaf biomass from pruned trees was heaviest for M. indica (42.4 ±3 kg) in the wet season and at the 50% pruning regime (45.7± 2.1kg). Total nutrient concentrations were in the order A. coriaria > F. natalensis > A.heterophyllus > M.indica. We concluded that F. natalensis and A. Coriaria should be integrated more into the agroforestry system to improve soil fertility. A.heterophyllus and M.indica should be planted on farm boundaries. The 50% pruning regime was the best and should be carried out during the wet season. Key words : Tree species, canopy management, leaf fall, nutrient concentrations, soil fertility |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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