Effect of pollarding frequency on biomass of Erythrina poeppigiana as a coffee shade tree

Abstract

The use of pollarded Erythrina poeppig&na as shade tree in coffee plantations is apparently an old practice in Costa Rica. The tree is not native to this country but was introduced between late 19th and 20th century and was rapidly dispersed in the coffee and cacao areas. Currently, the Erythrina tree is widespread in the Turrialba Valley (elevation 600-1300 m) and in the Central Valley (elevation 1200 m) where the species is always associated with present or past coffee crops. Pollarding carried out by Costa Rican farmers constitutes a long dated and functional practice, hence the objective of this study was to evaluate the amount of biomass produced by pollarding of Erythrina poeppigiana used as shade in coffee crop planted at a density of 280 trees/hectare under different pollarding frequencies. Results showed that by poUarding once a year, 18,470 kg of dry matter per hectare are produced; with two pollardings per year 11,800 kg/ha are produced and with three pollardings per year 7,850kg/ha are produced. The total amount of nitrogen removed is very similar for pollarding once and twice a year, but is lower for three times a year. The amount of nitrogen removed was approximately 230 kg/ha/year in the first two cases and 170 kg/ha/year in the last one.The above observations suggest that a considerable supply of nutrients exist in the systems with shade trees, when they are periodically pollarded.Finally some conclusions and follow up activities related to research on the species are suggested, such as higher biomass production techniques, appropriate planting practices, selection of genetic material, nutrient depletion when biomass is harvested, conversion of leaves to marketable feed sources (flour, pellets), alley cropping and green manure production and restoration of degraded areas and improductive savannas by planting large cuttings that would improve the soil by adding biomass and shade out undesirable grasses. *This work is part of a Ph.D. Dissertation submitted to the Southeastern University, New Orleans, Lousiana by R.O. Russo.

Litter production and nutrient cycling in coffee (Coffea arabica) or cacao (Theobroma cacao) plantations with shade trees

“…The total litter contribution from the shade trees over coffee and cacao (including pruning residues) is usually in the range of 5,000-10,000 kg/ha/a (Tables 3 and 4), although higher values have been reported [16,33]. Thus, by contrasting Tables 1 and 2 with Tables 3 and 4 it can be deduced that approximately 50% of the litterfall and litter nutrient inputs come from the coffee or cacao.…”

“…Pruning residues are usually chopped and spread as a mulch. The most intensive examples involve pollarding of coffee shade trees, 2-3 times per year, leaving only a 3-5 m high trunk [17,18,33]. In shaded plantations of cacao or coffee the total annual litterfall from both the shade trees and the crop, including pruning residues, is between 5,000 and 20,000 kg/ha/a (Tables 1 and 2); values that fall within the range reported for tropical forests [39].…”

“…via mycorrhizael associations) may become more accessible to the crop. The characteristics of the chosen shade species obviously have a fundamental influence on the interactions between tree and crop, but shade tree management (particularly pruning) can drastically alter this interaction [33]. The best documented comparison of two possible shade species is given for a coffee trial, in the 'Central Experiment', CATIE, where it was shown that whilst Erythrina poeppigiana (Walpers, O.F.…”

Efecto de la edad de rebrote en la degradación ruminal del pisonay (Erythrina sp) en el valle interandino de Abancay

“…Las especies forrajeras arbustivas y arbóreas tienen gran potencial para mejorar los sistemas de producción animal, se ha reportado un rendimiento de forraje mayor que las leguminosas herbáceas (Russo y Budowski, 1986, Alvarado et al, 2007, Cordoví et al, 2013, Valarezo y Ochoa, 2013; toleran mejor el mal manejo y tienen la capacidad de rebrotar y ofrecer forraje de buena calidad en localidades con sequías prolongadas. Tienen las siguientes ventajas: disponibilidad en las granjas, accesibilidad, proporcionan variedad a la dieta, influencia laxativa en el tracto digestivo, reducen costos de alimentación, y son fuente de nitrógeno, energía, minerales y vitaminas (Urbano y Dávila, 2005).…”

Soil mineral N dynamics beneath mixtures of leaves from legume and fruit trees in Central Amazonian multi-strata agroforests

“…in alley cropping and shade agroforestry systems n applied with prunings can amount to 136-240 kg n ha -1 y -1 on infertile soils (Kang et al, 1981;russo & Budowski, 1986). 37-92% of the n in gliricidia (Gliricidia sepium) prunings can be fixed from atmospheric n 2 (Giller, 2001).…”