Biomass production and diameter growth of nine half-sib families of mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa var. glandulosa) and a fast growing Prosopis alba half-sib family grown in Texas

Wood productivity of Prosopis flexuosa D.C. woodlands in the central Monte: Influence of population structure and tree-growth habit

“…These values represent around six-fold the productivity recorded for Telteca (120e170 kg ha À1 year À1 ). Although these large differences in productivity may be related to environmental factors such as mean temperature, water availability, extent of growth period, frost-free period, and land-use history, they may also relate to genetic variability within P. flexuosa populations in the Monte desert (Cony, 1996;Duff et al, 1994).…”

“…It has been observed that branching patterns, which are defined in juvenile stages, directly affect the photosynthetic capacity of trees (Fisher, 1986). Between 15 and 80 years, the larger foliar area in multi-stemmed individuals would determine a higher photosynthetic rate than in one-stemmed trees (Duff et al, 1994). Finally, above a certain crown size, competition for light would start between the different crowns of a multi-stemmed tree, inducing a marked decrease in the rate of biomass increment.…”

“…Most tree-ring based studies with P. flexuosa have been conducted with onestemmed individuals or considering the main trunk of multistemmed trees (Duff et al, 1994;Perpiñal et al, 1995;Ríos et al, 2001;Villagra et al, 2005aVillagra et al, , 2005b. Nevertheless, other studies suggest that radial growth significantly differs between one-and multi-stemmed trees in a population (Cao and Peters, 1998).…”

Influence of mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) on soil nitrogen and carbon development: Implications for global carbon sequestration

“…Assuming a 50% moisture content and a C/dry weight conversion of 40%, the standing C content of these stands would range from 2 to 20 Mg ha\ 1 . Non-irrigated plantations of unselected genetic stock of Prosopis were found to have a standing dry biomass of 69 Mg ha\ 1 at the end of 10 years growth for an annual dry biomass growth increase of 6)9 Mg ha\ 1 (Duff et al, 1994). As Swisher (1997) pointed out, carbon storage in above-ground biomass that may be later harvested and used is not sufficient for long-term carbon storage and therefore does not sustainably reduce the carbon stock in the atmosphere.…”

Factors controlling deadwood availability and branch decay in two Prosopis woodlands in the Central Monte, Argentina

“…Deadwood is an important resource for the domestic activities of the inhabitants of dry woodlands and emerges as an alternative production to be taken into account in planning woodland management (Duff et al, 1994;Shackleton, 1998). This woodland resource is the major energy source for multiple communities in the African continent and in several developing countries (Williams and Shackleton, 2002).…”