Agroforestry for soil and water conservation in the western Himalayan Valley Region of India 2. Crop and tree production |
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Authors: | Pratap Narain R K Singh N S Sindhwal P Joshie |
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Institution: | (1) Central Soil and Water Conservation Research and Training Institute, 218, Kaulagarh Road, Dehradun –, 248 195, India; E-mail |
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Abstract: | A ten-year-study (1983 to 1992) conducted on nine 15 × 90 m runoff plots at 4% slope compared production efficiency of Leucaena
leucocephala and Eucalyptus hybrid based agroforestry as well as monocropping landuse systems in the warm, subhumid climate
of the western Himalayan region of India. Treatments for the first sequence were: monocropping systems of leucaena, eucalyptus,
Chrysopogon fulvus grass and maize – wheat rotation, and alley cropping systems of grass and crops at 4.5 and 10.5 m alley
widths with paired contour tree rows of leucaena and eucalyptus. In the second sequence, alley width increased to 22.5 m in
1989, grass was replaced by turmeric Curcuma longa and paired contour rows of leucaena hedges were introduced in monocropping
systems of grain crops and turmeric. Integration of leucaena and eucalyptus trees with crops caused severe reduction of crop
yields ranging from 21 to 92% for wheat grain, 59 to 69% for maize grain, 60 to 67% for dry grass and about 50% for turmeric
rhizome depending upon the age of trees and alley width. The grain yield of crops stabilized at about 50% reduction with 22.5
m alley width. Total crop biomass (grain + straw) also revealed a similar trend; however, its magnitude of reduction was less
severe than for grain. Production of biomass was much lower near the tree rows than in mid alleys. Managing leucaena as contour
hedgerows eliminated crop yield reduction in alleys. Performance of grass and turmeric in alleys was not found to be satisfactory.
Biomass produced from trees adequately compensated the crop yield reduction. Land equivalent ratios of agroforestry landuses
were comparable or even better than monocropping systems indicating suitability of these systems for the western Himalayan
valley region.
This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date. |
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Keywords: | alley cropping biomass production contour tree rows leucaena hedgerows land equivalent ratio |
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