Early growth performance of mango and cashew coplanted with four nitrogen fixers in a tropical Alfisol.
Swaminathan C., Dhanakodi C. V., Mariappan S.
Author Affiliation: Division of Forestry and Forages, National Pulses Research Centre, Vamban Colony 622 303, Pudukkottai-TN, India.
Journal of Sustainable Forestry 8 : 15-26
Abstract : A five year field experiment was established in September 1989 at Pudukkottai, Tamil Nadu, India, to get information which will facilitate the scientific development of tree mixtures in an agroforestry system with two fruit trees viz., mango (Mangifera indica) and cashew (Anacardium occidentale) and four tropical nitrogen fixing trees, viz., Acacia auriculiformis, Acacia holosericea, Casuarina equisetifolia and Leucaena leucocephala. Observations on height and diameter increment of the trees were recorded 1-5 years after planting and edaphic parameters were measured at the beginning and end of the experiment. Mango showed the best height and diameter increment in pure stands; when grown with nitrogen fixing trees, mango grew better with Casuarina and Leucaena than with Acacia spp. Growth of cashew was enhanced by both Casuarina and Leucaena. Height growth of cashew was enhanced by 25% when interplanted with Casuarina and plant girth (10.8 cm) was maximum when interplanted with Leucaena, although differences between the 2 nitrogen-fixing trees were not significant. From analysis of changes in nitrogen, P2O5, K2O, pH and electrical conductivity of soil in the mixed plots and the mensurational data of the trees, it is recommended that cashew and mango orchards on Alfisol should be coplanted with Casuarina and Leucaena, respectively, in the establishment stage.