Effect of pruning on tree height and trunk circumference in five agroforestry tree species.
Alam M. S., Zaman M. S., Salam M. A., Bari M. S., Hasan M. A.
Author Affiliation: Rangpur Dinajpur Rural Service (RDRS), Rangpur, Bangladesh.
Tropical Agricultural Research and Extension 8 : 22-27
Abstract : This study was conducted to find out suitable tree species when subjected to pruning for better output in the homestead agroforestry systems in Bangladesh. Five selected tree species viz. Ghora neem (Melia azedarach), mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla), mango (Mangifera indica), jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) and guava (Psidium guajava); and two management practices involving one pruning management and the other unpruning condition were used in the experiment. Pruning started at three years age of saplings. Trees were pruned four times a year at three month intervals. All tree species showed a significant positive increase in tree height due to pruning of foliage and branches. Under pruning conditions, significantly higher increments in height was observed in Ghora neem (197.83 cm) followed by mahogany (57.5 cm), guava (54.33 cm), mango (53.33 cm) and jackfruit (48.67 cm). All tree species when pruned showed a significant positive increase in circumference compared to those unpruned at 60 and 90 cm height from the ground level.