A computerized database as decision support tool for the selection of agroforestry tree species

Whether in agroforestry in temperate or tropical zones, choosing the right species is one of the most crucial stages of experiments and for reforestation, erosion control or land-improvement projects.Over the last decade, ICRAF has developed a tool to help researchers, extension workers, foresters and others in the decision process. The Multipurpose Tree & Shrub Database (MPTS) contains information about more than 1,000 species. Most of these species are grown in the tropical and subtropical zones, but many of them have a potential for temperate areas as well.MPTS contains first-hand, site-specific information about multipurpose tree species. This information makes it possible for the user to compare his or her site conditions with the site conditions described in the database, and allows him/her to draw conclusions about the possible species performance. MPTS also contains secondary information from publications.Candidate species are searched by entering keywords from a list of 19 correlated criteria, such as soil information, expected services or wood and non-wood products. Detailed information about the selected candidates (e.g. morphology, management, environmental responses) is provided.Beyond this, MPTS is a quick reference tool for the multiple use of tree and shrub species. In future it will include a comprehensive guide to germplasm information. Current activities include the implementation of an interactive use-interface and links to related databases.     

Agroforestry Tree Seed Production and Supply Systems in Malawi

A sustainable agroforestry tree germplasm supply system is vital to resource-constrained smallholder farmers who depend on agroforestry to improve the productivity of their farm enterprises. Successful adoption of agroforestry hinges on the development of a sustainable agroforestry tree germplasm supply system. This paper reviews the agroforestry tree seed supply system in Malawi, with a view to determining its sustainability and quality. Currently, more than 90% of the documented agroforestry tree seed distributed to farmers is produced by smallholder farmers collected mainly from scattered farmland trees, the remainder being produced from seed orchards and seed stands owned or controlled by research organizations. Three organizations—namely the Land Resources Centre (LRC), National Tree Seed Centre (NTSC) of the Forestry Research Institute of Malawi (FRIM) and the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF)—were identified as major procurers of agroforestry tree seed produced by smallholder farmers. Agroforestry germplasm is distributed to farmers by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and government agricultural and forestry extension departments. The procurement and distribution of germplasm to farmers is in general effective. The major challenge to sustainability of agroforestry tree germplasm distribution in Malawi is dependence on donor funding. The agroforestry tree seed system is, to some extent, sustainable with regards to production, although the genetic quality of the germplasm is low. Germplasm storage facilities at national level are available and possibly adequate, but knowledge and information on effective low-cost tree germplasm storage systems at household level are limited. Sustainability could be enhanced by strengthening of grass-root organizations involved in tree seed production to institutionalize the distribution through farmer–farmer exchange. There is also a need to support the development, promotion and adoption of low-cost tree germplasm storage facilities by smallholder farmers.     

Agroforestry experimentation: Separating the wood from the trees?

ICRAF has evolved and evaluated experimental approaches to agroforestry problems which will help resercchers reach practical conclusions most cost-effectively in the shortest possible time, and with only limited resources. This has meant looking into the experimental phases needed, developing the conceptual background to research problems which involve the complex spatial/temporal features of agroforestry systems, suggesting and initiating simplified field experimental designs and/or assessment methodologies, and establishing source and reference design materials about agroforestry research for distribution.These four sets of activities are outlined and briefly discussed in relation to some of the key research issues which have emerged.Suitable methods for many areas of experimental agroforestry are rapidly being defined, although some of the more complex issues (e.g. multistrata systems, on-farm research with multipurpose trees and tree/crop mixtures) still need a focused attempt to develop appropriate research methodologies.Head, Research Development Division, ICRAF     

Compound farms of southeastern Nigeria:

Compound farms are a homegarden-type of agroforestry system involving the deliberate management of multipurpose trees and shrubs in a multistoried association with agricultural crops and small livestock within the compounds of individual houses. In addition to the advantages of diversified production, risk minimization, improved labour and nutrient use efficiences and soil conservation, compound farms represent germplasm banks containing many of the useful tree/ shrub species currently disappearing due to indiscriminate clearing of fore and woodlands.     

Sesbania seed collections in Southern Africa

The International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF) is a member of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) system and has recently established a Multipurpose Tree Germplasm Resource Unit (MPT-GRU) in Nairobi, Kenya. The first major activity of the MPT-GRU was to undertake a regional germplasm collection ofSesbania in 5 countries in southern Africa in a collaborative mode with National Agricultural Research Services (NARS). The collections took place in Botswana, Malawi, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.Key elements of a generalised collaborative mode (the model) are indicated follwed by a summary of actual events. The initial phase involved joint planning and training sessions between NARS, three sister CGIAR centres and one regional institution, the Southern Africa Development Conference (SADC) Regional Gene Bank (SRGB). This was followed by actual collections during 1993 led by National scientists with different levels of CGIAR participation in each of the five countries. The International Board of Plant Genetic Resources (IBPGR) took the lead in pre-collection training activities, ICRAF for developing the collection programme and the International Livestock Centre for Africa (ILCA) for seed drying, testing and despatch for field trials. NARS gene banks guided the necessary administrative processes. The ICRAF lead scientist for the species and provenance evaluation phase was a crucial member of the planning process thus allowing integration of the collection with the eventual field evaluation. The article focuses on the collection strategy, administrative protocols for actual collections and summary results. Some advantages and difficulties associated with the collection programme and model are discussed. The collections were important in bringing together agriculturalists and foresters in a common germplasm collection exercise.     

ICRAF Field Station at Machakos

ICRAF has a Field Station at Machakos, 70 km south-east of Nairobi on a 40-ha site. It provides a good collection of a large number of multipurpose trees and shrubs useful in agroforestry, experimental designs, agroforestry technologie,, demonstration oof some agroforestry practices and interventions such as alley cropping, soil conservation technologies, etc. These demonstration-and trial-plots that are conducted by the Council's multidisciplinary team of scientists are also used to a limited extent for obtaining scientific information on the performance of the various species involved and of their response to management as well as interactions. The Station is visited regularly by an average of 350 individuals of various types per year, and is used for different kinds of training and field demonstrations.Principal Scientist, ICRAF     

Certification of agroforestry tree germplasm in Southern Africa: opportunities and challenges

The lack of high quality agroforestry tree germplasm has long been recognized as one of the major challenges to widespread adoption of agroforestry in Southern Africa. Productivity levels realized in operational scale plantings are far less than those demonstrated in research and this has been partly blamed on the use of germplasm of unknown quality and low productivity potential. The lack of high quality germplasm is attributable to the absence of regulations to govern its production in the countries promoting agroforestry. Most of the agroforestry tree germplasm is sold or distributed without regard to its genetic, physiological and physical quality. Given these challenges, in this paper, we reviewed crop seed certification in general and tree germplasm certification in the USA, Europe, India, Southern Africa and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) with a view to find potential similarities with agroforestry tree germplasm. Only three countries in sub-Saharan Africa (Burkina Faso, Madagascar and Rwanda) were found to have tree germplasm certification: the OECD Forest Seed and Plant certification scheme. From the review, it is possible to establish agroforestry tree germplasm quality control systems, more so in countries that already have tree seed centres and tree seed regulations. A simple agroforestry tree germplasm certification scheme, based on the FAOs Quality Declared Seed (QDS) with truth-in-labelling is recommended. Three germplasm categories (audit, select and genetically improved) are recommended as a start. Furthermore, countries will need to develop new or amend existing agricultural seed policies and regulations to include agroforestry tree germplasm certification under QDS. Finally, germplasm quality standards for the selected agroforestry trees species in the respective countries will need to be developed.     

Fifth International Poplar Symposium: 'Poplars and willows: from research models to multipurpose trees for a bio-based society'

Carefully managed tree plantations offer an opportunity for sustainable biomass production. In recent years, the responses of the Salicaceae to environmental constraints have increasingly been investigated at different levels of biological integration, giving rise to a physiological approach to the function of trees in environmental restoration and monitoring. Significant progress has been achieved by the poplar and willow community in understanding targeted characteristics of complex tree stress responses. The Fifth International Poplar Symposium brought together experts in this area, with the main objective being to improve, coordinate and communicate existing national research on the biological and environmental dimension of multifunctional poplar and willow plantations. The secondary objective was to develop a network of research scientists and extension workers to provide scientific support for subjects interested in using fast-growing poplar and willow species for tree-related environmental projects. The ultimate goal was to build up services for the multipurpose tree plantation network on local-level management in order to obtain maximized benefits from tree crops. The purpose was also to maximize the synergy between local knowledge and global-level processes that require information on multipurpose tree crop production.     

广西宜州龙江河畔赤腹松鼠春季栖息地选择

2008和2009年3—5月,采用直接观察法对广西宜州龙江河畔赤腹松鼠春季栖息地的选择进行调查和分析,结果表明：赤腹松鼠喜欢郁闭度好、水源距离10-50m、坡度20—40°、避风性良好、坡向东坡和南坡、坡位中坡位或上坡住、食物因子良好,人为干扰距离10-20m,海拔50—150m,乔木密度〈50株,灌木密度50～200株,乔木距离1～4m,灌木距离〈2m的栖息地;水源距离、坡度、海拔、灌木距离、人为干扰距离和灌木密度无显著差异（P〉0．05）,郁闭度、避风性、坡向、坡位、食物因子、乔木密度和乔木距离存在显著差异（P〈0．05）。     

Tree domestication for agroforestry: present status and future directions

Seven different activities constitute tree domestication: (1) manipulation of tree populations by silvicultural practices; (2) enhancement of site productivity; (3) control of destructive agents; (4) evolution of trees under natural selection; (5) semi-natural selection for survival in the socio-agricultural circumstances in which trees are grown; (6) conscious human selection for desired characteristics; and (7) correlated response to selection (which usually involves reduction of those plant parts that are not desired). Each of these activities is discussed, and its contribution to the present makeup of tree populations used for agroforestry is considered.Although tree domestication has been practiced by farmers for many centuries, selection and breeding programs for multipurpose agroforestry trees have existed for only the past thirty years. Some of the problems faced by existing tree improvement programs are discussed; these include: multiplicity of usable species, great demand for multipurpose trees (MPTs), existence of improvement programs with few species, difficulty of combining desired traits in a multipurpose ideotype, high cost and slow progress with present methods, and the fate of improved material introduced on farms. Among the solutions considered is more involvement of farmers in the process of selection, testing, and propagation of MPTs. The possible use of species mixtures also holds promise.     

Farm Forestry Prospects Among Some Local Communities in Rachuonyo District,Kenya

Deforestation and degradation of productive lands are serious threats to the sustainability of forestry/agricultural practices in Kenya. In the last two decades farm forestry (FF) has been promoted through pilot projects among local communities as an example of sustainable land use. However adoption of FF is limited outside the project locations because FF improvement measures focused mainly on biological (e.g. succession, biodiversity and traditional industrial timber production) and technical concerns (e.g. material input delivery such as providing free tree seedlings for field planting) rather than local values, and interests and the constraints facing farmers. This study examined the local farm priorities and constraints and the prospects for the wider implementation of farm-level tree planting in four communities in Rachuonyo District. Using interviews with 597 randomly selected household heads, the study assessed farmer’s production assets and activities, land tenure, priority tree species and the constraints to growing trees on farms. Results show that farm labour is represented by a young population, 56.3% under the age of forty. They are mainly engaged in small-scale mixed cropping integrated with multipurpose trees and some livestock. Tree products contribute about 32% to household cash income, more than any other source (agricultural products, labour sales, etc). Females were more often household heads and had considerable influence over productive activities, making them an important target group in FF development. Farmers preferred exotic tree species due to their ability to provide short-term cash income, fuel and shade. Farmers’ concerns included population pressure on limited farmlands and the problem of credit for agricultural inputs. Given the feeling of secured tenure arrangement and influence of tree products on the household economy, farmers are likely to invest more in efficient land uses such as FF if consideration is given to local priorities.     

湘乡市林地森林碳储量及碳密度研究

通过对湘乡市林地的森林碳储量、碳密度及碳储量的空间分布特征进行研究,得出:①在各优势树种组中,中生阔叶树组的碳储量和碳密度都是最大的,碳储量排序依次为:中生阔叶树组>马尾松组>杉木组>竹木组>国外松组>经济林组〉慢生阔叶树组>灌木组>速生阔叶树组,碳密度排序依次为:中生阔叶树组>国外松组>竹木组>马尾松组〉慢生阔叶树组>杉木组>经济林组>速生阔叶树组〉灌木组;②除马尾松组和中生阔叶树组外,各优势树种小班的碳储量主要集中分布在0~100t的区域内,且与人类活动呈负相关。     

Woody Plants Diversity and Possession,and Their Future Prospects in Small-Scale Tree and Shrub Growing in Agricultural Landscapes in Central Highlands of Ethiopia

Woody plants diversity and possession in small-scale tree and shrub growing practices among farmers of central highland Ethiopia were assessed by using a complete census of the trees and shrubs existing on farmers’ lands. The future prospects of diversity and possession of woody plants in the agricultural landscapes were also investigated by using the farmers’ species preferences and seedling demands as indicators. Comparisons were made across wealth classes, proximity clusters to a nearby state forest and land uses. It was found that 27 tree and 21 shrub species exist on lands of the studied households. With increasing wealth status of the households, the tree and shrub species richnesses increased. Tree and shrub species richnesses were highest in boundary plantings and homesteads respectively. Small-scale woodlots had the highest number of tree stems while homesteads contained the highest number of shrub stems. The number of tree stems a household possesses is strongly influenced by distance from the state forest, family size, educational level of the household head and number of iron-roofed houses owned. And, the shrub stems possession is significantly influenced by wealth status, distance from the state forest, land holding size, family size, livestock holding, age of wife and possession of off-farm income sources. The species preference analysis and seedling demand computations indicated that the woody species diversity is less likely to change in the future because there is no difference between the currently existing species and the preferred ones. Nonetheless, the number of tree and shrub stems on the farmers’ holdings could increase if the seedling demands of the preferred woody species are met.     

Fluctuating Fortunes of a Collective Enterprise: The Case of the Agroforestry Tree Seeds Association of Lantapan (ATSAL) in the Philippines

The Agroforestry Tree Seeds Association of Lantapan (ATSAL) in Bukidnon province of Mindanao, Philippines, was organized in 1998, facilitated by the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF). Farmers were trained on germplasm collection, processing and marketing of agroforestry tree seeds and seedlings. ATSAL has been marketing various tree seeds and seedlings with apparent success, and has provided training on seed collection and nursery management to farmers, government technicians, and workers from non-government organizations. This paper reports initial results of a continuing study to assess the effectiveness of ATSAL’s marketing strategy, including group dynamics, and the issues and challenges the group faces. It was found that during the first 2 years, ATSAL’s market share of highly demanded timber tree species grew rapidly, thus helping to disseminate widely these important species among farmers. ICRAF’s technical back-up was an advantage, increasing the Association’s market credibility. Subsequently, ATSAL extended its market to the central Philippines, but failed to meet the demand for seeds due to organizational limitations. Market competition exists, where a non-member was able to take a larger market share than was the group. Nonetheless, ATSAL has established its name as a viable community-based seed and seedling producer, maintaining a stronghold in local and regional markets. Collective action is important for smallholders to gain market access, but is unlikely to sustain sales. Facilitating smallholder collective action is essentially an arduous task, requiring the supporting agency to hold a firm grasp of market realities, to invest in the maintenance of collective action, to provide continuous technical back-up, and to ascertain the conditions that make collective action succeed.     

A review of measurement options for multipurpose trees

There is an urgent need to standardize the methods used to assess the growth of multipurpose trees. Most of the standard methods so far described have been developed specifically for use in multilocational trial networks. This paper was prepared for the F/FRED/ICRAF Workshop on MPTS Assessment Methods, held in Thailand in May 1991 to develop internationally-recognised standards for assessment methodology. It critically reviews the methods prescribed by different networks for height and diameter measurement, and for biomass estimation, giving researchers a range of methodological options to consider and re-emphasizing the need, all too often neglected, to define assessment methods clearly and unambiguously.     

Shrub species affect distinctively the functioning of scattered Quercus ilex trees in Mediterranean open woodlands

A low tree stand density has been showed as necessary to thrive with summer drought in semiarid Mediterranean open woodlands. Shrub encroachment of these open woodlands is currently recommended to guarantee the persistence of the system, due to the nursery effect of shrubs on tree seedling. However, the increase in abundance and cover of a shrub understory in these water limited woodlands could bring consequences to tree overstory functioning. The present study analyzes the physiological status of scattered Quercus ilex L. trees in paired adjacent plots with and without the presence of a shrubby understory in CW Spain. Two contrasting shrub strategies were addressed in order to take into account possible species-specific effects: a dense-shallow rooting shrub (Cistus landanifer L.) and a sparse-deep rooting shrub (Retama sphaerocarpa (L.) Boiss). Leaf water potential (at predawn and midday), leaf gas exchange parameters (net photosynthetic rate and stomatal conductance), leaf nitrogen content and chlorophyll fluorescence transients (maximum photochemical efficiency and performance index, sensuStrasser et al., 2004) were measured during three consecutive summers. Trees growing with Cistus as understory showed significant lower leaf water potential, leaf gas exchange parameters, leaf nitrogen content and chlorophyll photochemical efficiency than trees growing without shrub competence. However, the presence of the legume Retama did not affect significantly the physiological state of Q. ilex. Thus, we conclude that the presence of a shrubby understory has the potential to modify the functioning of scattered trees, but these effects are species-specific.     

车桑子和白刺花种子质量分级标准初步研究

车桑子(Dodonaea viscosa(L.)Jacq.)和白刺花(Sophora viciifolia Hance)是我省飞机播种造林的主要树种。由于在判定这两个树种种子质量时既无国家标准,又无地方标准作为依据,因此给种子质量评价和监督造成一定困难。本文通过对2001-2005年四川省林木种苗质量监督检测中心及凉山州林业种子种苗管理站车桑子和白刺花种子样品检测数据进行处理与分析,初步提出这两个树种种子质量分级标准的指标体系。     

秦岭西段锐齿栎群落林木个体大小分布特征及物种多样性

对秦岭西段小陇山林区腹地和林缘区的锐齿栎群落的大小分布和多样性进行了分析,结果表明:林区腹地分布区锐齿栎群落的个体较多,锐齿栎成年林木树高频度分布的峰值出现在7 - 19 m间,占总数的73.54%, 3 m以下的幼苗幼树占总数的18.43%,锐齿栎幼苗的萌发受中成林木、灌木的影响较大。在林缘分布区内,小于3 m以下的幼苗幼树与林区腹地分布相类似,但3 m以上各树高阶的数量都很少,特别是成熟林木较少,群落处于不稳定状态。林区腹地锐齿栎群落不同层次的物种组成丰富,物种数均高于林缘区,林区腹地锐齿栎群落多样性灌木层>草本层>乔木层,林缘区锐齿栎群落多样性草本层>灌木层>乔木层。