Development of poplar-based alley crop system for fodder production and soil improvements in semi-arid tropics

Sirohi, Chhavi; Dhillon, R. S.; Chavan, S. B.; Handa, A. K.; Balyan, Parvinder; Bhardwaj, K. K.; Kumari, Sushil; Ahlawat, K. S.

doi:10.1007/s10457-022-00735-w

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…Farmland with dispersed trees had drastically lower soil pH, available potassium, and available phosphorus the farther away from the trees you were (Yadessa et al, 2009;Yadessa et al, 2001). In an alley cropping system, the levels of soil organic carbon, accessible nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium were highest close to the tree canopy (Sirohi et al, 2022). Additionally, this demonstrates how the soil patches created by the tree canopy can restore some soil qualities and improve the sustainability of nutrient availability for crop production in small-scale farming systems.…”

Section: Of Some Important Dependent Variablesmentioning

confidence: 79%

A Comparative Study of the Effects of Cordia africana, Ficus sur and Manihot esculenta on Soil Chemical Properties in an Agroforestry System

Gota

Madalcho

Kerse

et al. 2022

Preprint

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in Krakow, Poland The incorporation of woody components ensures the sustainability of land productivity through complementary resource acquisition and nutrient cycling. Hover, the integrated species, however, play a major role in determining the environmental impact of agroforestry practices. In order to compare the effects of woody plants on various soil chemical properties, three agroforestry species: Cordia africana, Ficus sur, and Manihot esculenta were selected from three different elevation ranges; and the soil samples were collected from the canopy zone and outside the tree canopy influence. As a result, all of the agroforestry species in the current study have demonstrated a significantly favorable impact on the soil chemical properties inside the canopy. Focusing solely on the effects of individual species on the soil, Cordia Africana and Ficus sur did not significantly differ in the bulk of the measured soil chemical property measures. Manihot esculenata, on the other hand, had much lower impact in comparison to the first two, showing that it is the least important species for enhancing soil quality. The influence of agroforestry species on soil chemical properties is similar across all elevation ranges for the majority of the parameters, indicating that the impact of agroforestry species on soil property is stronger than the impact of elevation. Therefore, in an agroforestry system, woody plants, Cordia Africana and Ficus sur perform a significantly larger role of improving the soil than the tuber crop Manihot esculenata, which in turn has a strong negative impact on the soil's available potassium and cation exchange capacity.

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Section: Of Some Important Dependent Variablesmentioning

confidence: 79%

A Comparative Study of the Effects of Cordia africana, Ficus sur and Manihot esculenta on Soil Chemical Properties in an Agroforestry System

Gota

Madalcho

Kerse

et al. 2022

Preprint

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“…Indeed, increasing the availability of the best forage (high CP and ME, low NDF, high fermentation rate), such as Fabaceae ( Z. latifolia , C. rotundifolia ) and Poaceae ( D. aegyptium , P. notatum , C. biflorus ), seems a good strategy in the coastal area. These species could be cultivated in alley-cropping with commercial vegetables or under coconut plantations [ 71 ], as suggested by the coastal herders in recent investigations [ 1 ]. These plants could be grown at the end of the rainy season, allowing utilization at the early vegetation stage of forage of high quality in the dry season.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nutritional Value of Climate-Resilient Forage Species Sustaining Peri-Urban Dairy Cow Production in the Coastal Grasslands of Benin (West Africa)

Koura

Vastolo

Kiatti

et al. 2022

Animals

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Along the coast of West Africa, grazing ruminants rely on perennial forage species remaining in uncultivated plots, roadsides, and marshlands during the dry season. To assess the quality of these forages, thirteen drought-tolerant plants were harvested at the mature stage, and the samples were evaluated for chemical composition, in vitro fermentation characteristics, and metabolizable energy (ME) content. They are ten drought-tolerant grasses, including: Andropogon virginicus, Brachiaria deflexa, Cenchorus biflorus, Dactyloctenium aegyptium, Eragrostis tremula, Leptochloa caerulescens, Loudetia aroundinacea, Paspalum notatum, Paspalum vaginatum, Pennisetum purpureum, two perennial herbs, Chamaecrista rotundifolia, Zornia latifolia, and one multipurpose tree, Elaeis guineensis. Legume species had the highest nutritional value (highest crude protein and ME, and lowest neutral detergent fiber) of the species studied. In terms of the in vitro data, the gas produced after 120 h of incubation ranged from 149 mL/g in E. tremula to 185 mL/g in Paspalum. Z. latifoliaa and had the fastest rate of fermentation, producing half of the total gas in 19.5 h, whereas E. tremula required 49.9 h (p < 0.01). The production of branched-chain fatty acids (isobutyrate and isovalerate) was greatest for E. guineensis and the lowest in both Paspalum species (p < 0.01). The study suggests the need for the protein supplementation of the animals to ensure maximum forage utilization and to satisfy the nutrient requirements of ruminant livestock.

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“…10.3389/fsufs.2024.1386035 Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems 03 frontiersin.org Despite these advantages, diminishing crop yields often lead to the discontinuation of intercropping, causing farmers to perceive their land as unproductive and divert attention from the tree crop (Chavan and Dhillon, 2019;Chavan et al, 2022a). This underscores the critical need for well-defined planting geometry in agroforestry systems, ensuring optimal spacing to mitigate adverse effects on intercrop growth and yield (Khan and Chaudhry, 2007;Sirohi et al, 2022). Although eucalyptus-based agroforestry systems hold promise, there remains a knowledge gap regarding the influence of different eucalyptus planting geometries on intercrop biomass, soil properties, and carbon stock dynamics.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Optimizing planting geometries in eucalyptus-based food production systems for enhanced yield and carbon sequestration

Chavan,

Dhillon,

Sirohi

et al. 2024

Front. Sustain. Food Syst.

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The integration of trees into diverse land-use systems holds potential for India to meet nationally determined contribution (NDC) targets under the Paris Climate Agreement. With a target of sequestering 2.5–3 billion tons of CO2 equivalent by 2030, the study focused on the widespread and economically viable eucalyptus-based agroforestry, practiced widely in various planting geometries tailored to meet industrial end-use requirements. In this context, a detailed study was conducted to quantify the influence of five planting geometries [3 m × 3 m, 6 × 1.5 m, 17 × 1 × 1 m (paired row) and two boundary plantations (east–west and north–south directions) at 2 m away from tree to tree] of eucalyptus on intercrops [dhaincha (Sesbania aculeata)—barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) rotation] biomass, soil properties, and carbon stock of the system during 2009–2016. Results revealed that biomass accumulation of different tree components was 62.50%–74.09% in stem; 6.59%–9.14% in branch; 3.18%–5.73% in leaves; 12.20%–20.44% in stump roots; and 1.71%–3.48% in fine roots across the planting geometries. The mean carbon content of the stem, branch, leaves, and roots was 49.00, 47.00, 43.00, and 49.00%, respectively. Over the 8-year period, geometry of 3 × 3 m performed better in terms of total biomass production (344.60 Mg ha− 1 by tree biomass and 62.53 Mg ha−1 by intercrops). The independent parameter, DBH2H (DBH: diameter at breast height and H: tree height), was found to be a very good predictor of dry weight, followed by DBH alone. Among various functions (linear, allometric, logistic, Gompertz, Chapman, and exponential), the best-fit equation was allometric, i.e., B = 300.96 × DBH2H0.93 (adjusted R2 = 0.96) for eucalyptus based on universal model adequacy and validation criteria. The carbon sequestration rate was maximum (20.79 Mg C ha−1 year−1) in 3 × 3 m followed by 17 × 1 × 1 m. The total carbon stock of eucalyptus-based system (tree + crop + soil) varied significantly under different planting geometries and sole crop rotation (dhaincha–barley). The higher carbon stock (237.27 Mg ha−1) was obtained from 3 × 3 m spacing and further partitioning carbon stock in trees—166.29 Mg ha−1, crops—25.01 Mg ha−1 and soil—45.97 Mg ha−1. The paired row spacing (17 × 1 × 1 m) yielded higher crop yield and net returns (Rs. 600,475 ha−1), underscoring wide spacing’s role in system productivity and sustainability. Tree-based systems were valuable components of agriculture, advocating for their widespread adoption to reduce CO2 emissions and generate income through carbon credits. These findings will provide crucial insights into sustainable land-use practices and advance India’s commitment toward adaptation of climate change mitigation strategies.

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Development of poplar-based alley crop system for fodder production and soil improvements in semi-arid tropics

Cited by 5 publications

References 20 publications

A Comparative Study of the Effects of Cordia africana, Ficus sur and Manihot esculenta on Soil Chemical Properties in an Agroforestry System

A Comparative Study of the Effects of Cordia africana, Ficus sur and Manihot esculenta on Soil Chemical Properties in an Agroforestry System

Nutritional Value of Climate-Resilient Forage Species Sustaining Peri-Urban Dairy Cow Production in the Coastal Grasslands of Benin (West Africa)

Optimizing planting geometries in eucalyptus-based food production systems for enhanced yield and carbon sequestration

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