Forest Ecology and Management, 16 (1986) 33-40

Elsevier Science Publishers B.V., Amsterdam - - Printed in The Netherlands

33

Management of Algarrobo (Prosopis alba, P. chilensis, P. flexuosa, and P. nigra ) in the Semiarid Regions of Argentina
ENRIQUE MARMILLON

Estancias de Conlara, 5800 Rio Cuarto, Province of Cordoba (Argentina)

(Accepted 7 May 1986)

ABSTRACT
Marmillon, E., 1986. Management of algarrobo (Prosopis alba, P. chilensis, P. flexuosa, and P. nigra) in the semiarid regions of Argentina. For. Ecol. Manage., 16: 33-40.

Prosopis alba, P. chilensis, P. flexuosa, and P. nigra are collectively known as 'algarrobo' and are deep-rooted, nitrogen-fixingtrees that produce sweet pods that are still eaten by humans and rapidly eaten by livestock in the semiarid regions of Argentina. These trees are the essential component of the agroforestry land use system in these parts of Argentina. However, existing algarrobo stands need to be thinned to 30 to 50 adult trees per hectare and undesirable trees eliminated to provide a more favorable water supply for the algarrobo. New plantings need to be established in Argentina and this paper reports planting techniques which can be used by farmers with little equipment. To overcome dormancy the seeds are soaked in room temperature water for 72-96 h, which yields 75% germination. Field establishment of containerized transplants in polyethylene bags gave 50% survival six months after transplant, bare root transplants of P. chilensis and P. caldenia gave 65% and 75% survival respectively two months after transplant, and manual direct seeding gave 50% survival three months after seeding. Seedlings were also established by feeding intact pods to cattle. When 0.5 kg of pods are fed per day, at least one germinated seedling per feces occurs in periods when soil moisture is favorable.

INTRODUCTION

Deep-rooted woody species (Especially the genus Prosopis) in Northwestern Argentina have the potential to produce forage, fuel and wood, and to stabilize the soil ( Burkart, 1943 ). For these reasons they have become part of an agroforestal or silvopastoral land use system ( Godo et al., 1985). The four most important species known as algarrobo are Prosopis alba and P. chilensis, commonly known as white algarrobo, and P. nigra and P. flexuosa, known as black algarrobo. The common names refer possibly to the color of the fruit since the latter species sometimes have dark purple pods and the former species have light yellow pods.
0378-1127/86/$03.50 1986 Elsevier Science Publishers B.V.

34 In addition to direct use of the fallen pods by grazing animals, the people of Northwestern Argentina use Prosopis pods as a late winter supplement for cows, pigs, and horses. These pods are collected in the summer and stored until there is a lack of forage in the winter. The inhabitants of the algarrobo region frequently refer to these species simply as "The Tree". In the development of agroforestry systems it is important to create new systems as well as to reconstruct and improve the traditional ones, which may be still in use or may exist only in the memories of the native people. In Argentina little is known of the techniques to establish these desirable trees where they do not currently exist. Thus methods are reported in this paper for reestablishing useful trees that would be compatible with the range of farming activities in the semiarid regions of Argentina. The goals of this study were: To use seeds or transplanted seedlings to develop agroforestry or silvopastoral systems on degraded land that are capable of growing phreatophytic species. To use unskilled labor and simple techniques to allow this technology to be widely adapted. There are two principal options in developing agroforestry systems in arid systems; one is the management of existing stands and the other is the establishment of new stands. In the management of existing stands, we have observed that in Argentina's extensive semiarid systems, the competition between woody species is very great. As the water resource is insufficient for all of the species, many of the trees are severely stressed. Therefore selective thinning is necessary to favor the desirable species in the system. In Argentina's semiarid systems, this translates into the elimination of undesirable species leaving only the Prosopis. It is our opinion that the optimal density of algarrobo is between 30 and 150 adult trees per hectare, depending on the tree size, the water source, the environment, the Prosopis species involved, and the ultimate end use of the plot. In the establishment of new stands, we prefer sites, where there has been or still is Prosopis. The presence of algarrobo strongly implies that there is groundwater close enough to the surface to be used by new trees. Greenhouse studies have found that young (1.5 y) Prosopis seedlings can grow and fix nitrogen even when there is no water closer than 3 m from the soil surface ( Felker and Clark, 1982 ). The depth of the groundwater, and the groundwater recharge rates should be examined before planting new trees. This is to ensure that the aquifer is still being recharged, and has not been affected by new roads, dams, or topographic alterations (U. Karlin, personal communication, 1984). In the selection of seed sources for new plantings it is important to realize that the seeds from a given Prosopisobtain half their genes from the tree selected (mother tree) and half their genes form a generally unknown male parent. This is because most Prosopis species are both diploid and self-incompatible

35 (Simpson, 1977). Therefore, the resulting populations are highly polymorphic, and it is necessary to select the best trees in the best populations. In collecting seed for plantings in this study the following criteria have been used: (1) the population must correspond to the desired species (in Prosopis this can be difficult due to interspecific hybridization and introgression), (2) climatic data must be available for the study site, ( 3 ) the population must have acceptably low levels of insect pests and diseases, (4) the community should have been observed for at least three years, and (5) the Prosopis community must not have been overexploited, which would have eliminated the taller, straighter and presumably faster growing trees. While the decision as to which Prosopis communities have been overexploited is bound to be arbitrary, characteristics that would indicate the system is not overexploited would include; old, dead trees that are still standing, single-stemmed, mature trees, young trees, 1-3 year old trees, and seedlings from the current year. The presence of old, dead, standing trees indicates the system is not being harvested for fuel, since dead dried wood is premium quality for firewood. The presence of single-stemmed trees indicates that the stand has not been overharvested since these trees command a premium as fenceposts. Woodcutters in Argentina seldom remove trees larger than 30-40 cm in diameter because of the difficulty in moving them and therefore the presence of this size class also indicates that the stand has not been overharvested. If the trees or stem were harvested many years ago, the trees are often multi-stemmed as a result of the shoots that resprout just below the cut surface. The presence of new seedlings and 2-3 year old trees indicates that the system is still healthy and capable of generating viable seeds. After the germ plasm is collected, the seeds must be treated prior to planting to enhance germination. For example, Lauric and Ares (1984) found that untreated seed for Prosopiscaldenia had a germination percentage of only 23 %. Our data indicates that the germination of untreated algarrobo seed varies from 15% to 45% and that the germination percentage increases with time up to at least the third year. There was an immediate need in our ranching operation for information on which to base management decisions and therefore simple exploratory experiments were conducted to achieve practical management objectives. Thus we examined techniques to establish Prosopis seedlings in the field that included: transplanting containerized seedlings, bare root seedlings, and direct seeding. An alternative to direct seeding by hand or machine is to use animals. In this method, the animals are fed the pods, and as the pods and seeds go through the animal's digestive tract, the seeds are scarified, seed weevils are eliminated and the seed is excreted in an almost perfect medium for germination.

36 MATERIALS AND METHODS

Climate of study area

The average rainfall in ReducciSn, Depto. Rio Cuarto, Cordoba Province, Argentina is 700 mm y-1. T h e average minimum temperature, medium temperature, and maximum t e m p e r a t u r e are 7.5C, 16.5C, and 24C, respectively. The average number of frost-free days is 247. During the trials the absolute maximum temperature was 40 C and the absolute minimum - 7 C. During the trials, the following rainfall was recorded ( in mm ) ; in 1984, J a n - 205, Feb - - 188, Mar - - 67, Apr - - 60, M a y through Aug - - 0, Sep - - 100, Oct - - 12, Nov - - 154, Dec m 149, and in 1985, J a n b 210 and Feb - - 38.

Germination techniques
Many treatments can be used to break the d o r m a n c y in hard-coated legume tree seeds, but we only investigated water t r e a t m e n t s so as to avoid the hazards of inexperienced people working with dangerous chemicals. The easiest method to enhance germination is to soak the seeds in water at room temperature. The seeds are first treated with the fungicide thiram and after 12 hours the seeds begin to swell. N o t all the seeds begin to swell at the same time, but as they do they are removed and planted either in the container or directly in the ground. W h e n the average daily temperature is greater than 23 C, the germination rate is about 70-80% after several days. Using this room temperature soaking treatment, seedlings are produced that have a survival rate higer than 75% after one month. We also evaluated a boiling water t r e a t m e n t to enhance Prosopis germination; in this treatment, the seeds are immersed in boiling water and then left to cool for 12 h. This technique produced germination rates of 90% and has the benefit that large seed quantities can be processed in short periods of time without the need for trained people or dangerous chemicals. This system is especially useful for direct seeding immediately after rain when timeliness is crucial.

Containerized seedlings
In December 1983 Prosopis chilensis seed was soaked in water at room temperature until swelling occurred and then sown in plastic bags (8 microns thick, 8 cm wide, and 15 cm long) without rhizobial inoculation. T h e soil mix was composed of 70% field soil and 30% sand. The seedlings were placed outdoors in partial shade. Four days after seeding, emergence was observed. Over 90% emergence occurred within 15 days. The seedling survival rate was 85% after three months and 80% after six months.

37 The roots first perforated the bags after two months, at which time the roots were cut and the seedlings moved to a new location. Since the seedling roots penetrate these polyethylene bags, there is no need to remove the bags at the time of transplant. The location for the field trial was 50 km east of Rio Cuarto, Cordoba Province, Argentina (63 50 W and 33 20 S ). The field had been previously planted with peanuts~Arachis hypogea) and trifluralin (Treflan) had been used for the past three years. Before planting, the plot was plowed and harrowed with an offset disk. The seedlings were planted on September 5 1984 because the weather forecast indicated an 80% change of a thunderstorm. The seedlings were placed in a furrow which was made just before planting with a mouldboard plow, and then covered immediately by hand. J u s t before planting the roots and shoots were pruned. The night after transplant there was 60 mm of rainfall.

Bare root seedling trial

The bare root seedling trial was conducted on a sandy soil near Villa Dolores, Cordoba, Argentina with Prosopis chilensis and P. caldenia. The trial was begun in January 1984 when the t e m p e r a t u r e was over 23C. The seeds were not inoculated but were soaked for 36 h until swelling occurred and then 98 seedlings were sown into disposable fruit boxes (30 cm wide, 54 cm long, and 30 cm deep). The soil used in these boxes was 50% top soil from Prosopis areas nearby, and 50% river sand that was used to facilitate easy removal of the bare root seedlings from the containers. Two days after seeding, emergence began. T h e seedlings were watered once every four days and kept in partial shade for 30 days before being transported to full sunlight. The emergence rate was 80% for P. chilensis and 85% for P. caldenia. The seed in one box was treated with the fungicide thiram, and the seed in the other was left untreated. Ten days after seeding, damping-off was observed in the box containing u n t r e a t e d seedlings and eventually the mortality rate in this box reached 85%. The bare root transplanting of P. chilensis and P. caldenia was done 75 days after seeding. The P. chilensis seedlings had 5-6 pairs of leaves and 80% of them still had their cotyledons attached. The stems and roots of the P. chilensis seedlings ranged in length from 10-12 cm and 14-23 cm, respectively. The P. caldenia seedlings had 4-6 pairs of leaves and they all still had their cotyledons attached to the stems. The length of the P. caldenia seedling shoots and roots ranged from 5-7 cm and 22-23 cm, respectively. Neither the roots nor shoots were pruned. The seedlings appeared to be stressed within 5 min of removal from the container. The bare root seedlings were watered immediately after transplant and every day for the next 15 days.

38 Direct seeding trial A direct seeding trial was conducted in ReducciSn, at the same location as the transplanting trial with plastic bags. P. chilensis seed was used t h a t was neither inoculated with rhizobia nor treated with fungicides. However, the seed was soaked in water for 36 h to break the dormancy. Preliminary trials to establish the optimum depth for direct seeding indicated that the best emergence occurred between depths of 0.5 and 2.0 cm and t h a t no emergence at all occurred from depths below 7 cm. In the trials on seeding through feeding pods to cattle, the only extra input required was the addition of salt ( NaC1 ) and sulfur. Salt addition is necessary because it increases the water content of the feces, creating a t h i n n e r consistency which spreads over a wider area with less thickness. RESULTS In the containerized seedling trial, new shoots were observed on 83% of the seedlings 15 days after transplant. Seedlings t h a t were not completely covered with soil died within two m o n t h s of the transplant, even though t h e y initiated new shoots. The Prosopis chilensis seedling survival rate was 50% after six months. P. chilensis seedlings were twice as large as P. caldenia seedlings included in the trial as a control. This agrees with the report of slow growth in P. caldenia contained elsewhere in this volume (Hunziker et al., 1986 ). At the end of six months, the containerized seedlings ranged in height from 30 to 130 cm, and 80% of the seedlings were between 50 and 70 cm tall. The diameter of the stems ranged from 3 to 7 m m and the n u m b e r of stems ranged from 1 to 4 per seedling. The survival rate for the bare root transplanted seedlings was 65% for P. chilensis and 75% for P. caldenia after both 15 days and two months. This is the first report of the successful establishement of Prosopis by bare root seedlings, and this technique appears promising where irrigation is available after transplant. An interesting observation resulting from the bare root transplanting trial was that all of the seedlings possessed nodules. All of the P. caldenia seedlings had between 5 and 18 nodules ranging from 1 to 3 m m in diameter. The P. chilensis seedlings had between 10 and 18 light pink colored nodules that were measured with calipers and found to be between 0.7 and 1.2 m m in diameter. Thus, the P. caldenia nodules were larger than the P. chilensis nodules. The nodules were located more t h a n 12 cm below the ground surface. In the direct seeding trial, the first emergence was noticed five days after seeding and maximum emergence of 70% occurred nine days after seeding. Fifteen days after seeding, the survival rate decreased to 50%, due in large part to the abrasive and desiccating nature of hot-blowing, sandy winds from the north. No addi-

39 tional seedlings died before the three m o n t h evaluation when the seedling heights were measured. The three month evaluation of the direct seeding trial revealed t h a t 20% of the seedlings were below 30 cm in height, t h a t 36% of the seedlings were between 30 and 60 cm in height, t h a t 40% were higher t h a n 60 cm and t h a t 4% were higher t h a n 90 cm. Our observations on the establishment of seedlings via feeding pods to livestock indicate t h a t when 0.5 kg of pods are fed per day, at least one seedling per feces is observed. The best seedling survival in the feces occurs in the late summer and early autumn when the soil moisture conditions are more favorable. The advantages of direct seeding through the use of animals include the low cost for planting superior germ plasm and the possibility of reforesting inaccessible areas. A disadvantage of this method is t h a t the establishment of the trees is done without regard to spacing, or order, t h a t might; be beneficial in future mechanical operations. CONCLUSIONS Direct seeding appears to be a promising tool for reforestation, but more information is needed on weed control and water requirements. In direct seeding the spacing should take into account the estimated survival rate, the ultimate desired spacing, and the genetic gains possible through culling a fixed percentage of trees with less t h a n optimal phenotypes. The survival rate of transplanted, containerized seedlings obtained here was less t h a n t h a t obtained elsewhere {Felker et al., 1984) and appears to be attributable to the use of inexperienced laborers without adequate supervision. In future, trained laborers or direct supervision by trained managers will be required.

REFERENCES Burkart, A., 1943. Las leguminosasArgentinas,silvestresy cultivadas (The leguminousspecies in Argentina, both wild and cultivated). AcmeAgency,Buenos Aires, pp. 126-142 (in Spanish). Felker, P. and Clark, P., 1982. Position of mesquite (Prosopis spp.) nodulation and nitrogen fixation (acetylene reduction) in 3 m long phraetophytically simulated soil columns. Plant Soil, 64: 297-305. Felker, P., Smith, D., Smith, M., Bingham, R.L. and Reyes,I., 1984. Evaluation of herbicides for use in transplanting Lettcaena leucocephala and Prosopis alba on semi-arid lands without irrigation. For. Sci., 30: 747-755. Godo, P.F., Marmillon,E. and Vera, C.G., 1985. Gira de reconocimientode Algarroboen el Nordeste Argentino (Inventory of Algarrobo in Northeastern Argentina) (Unpubl.) 7 pp (in Spanish ). Hunziker, J.H., Saidman, B.O., Naranjo, C.A., Palacios, R.A., Poggio, L. and Burghardt, A.D. 1986. Hybridizationand geneticvariation of Argentinespeciesof Prosopis. For. Ecol. Manage., 16: 301-315.

40 Lauric, V. and Ares, A., 1984. Posibilidades de Acacia visco, Shinus areira, y Prosopis sp. al sur del paralelo 38 (Possibilities of Acacia visco, Shinus areira, and Prosopis sp. south of the 38th parallel.) In: 2 coloquie de especies forestales autoctonas Tucuman. {unpubl.) 13 pp (in Spanish). Simpson, B.B., 1977. Mesquite, its biology in two desert ecosystems. Dowden, Hutchinson, & Ross, Stroudsburg, PA, 250 pp.