Survival and growth responses of Jatropha curcas L. to three restoration techniques on degraded soils in Burkina Faso

Autor: W. F. Kagamèbga, A. Thiombiano, S. Traoré, R. Zougmoré, J. I. Boussim
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2011
Předmět:
Zdroj: Annals of Forest Research, Vol 54, Iss 2, Pp 171-184 (2011)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 1844-8135
2065-2445
Popis: Land degradation is a major problem in the Sahelian countries. Erosion control through establishment of vegetation cover is at important strategy to reverse the trend. Our research objective was to analyse the effects of three restoration techniques on Jatropha curcas L. seedlings growth and survivorship. We are conducted two separate field trials, involving the sowing and planting of J. curcas, in which several different soil restoration techniques were applied. The trial was monitored using a randomized block study design over a period of two years. The design included ten different treatments, six in the sowing trial and four in the planting trial, each with three replicates. In the first experiment, growth rate was found to be significantly higher in the Sub-Soiling treatment, that received additional organic matter than other treatments. However, overall survival rate was low (18%). In the second experiment, the Half-moon treatment yielded a significantly higher growth both in height (df = 3, F = 56.74, p < 0.05) and diameter (df = 3, F = 31.76, p < 0.05) and survival rate compared to those of the other treatments (df = 3, F = 50.4, p < 0.05). In conclusion, planting seedlings produced a greater survival rate than sowing seeds. Among the soil restoration and water conservation techniques tested in this study, the Half-moon technique was found to be the most effective. This is recommended to be used for improving the revegetation of J. curcas in the future.
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