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nutrient availability. Such positive effects can halt or even reverse the
process of pasture degradation.
The interactions between trees and pasture grasses and other plants can
be complex. Trees may compete with other pasture plants for water,
nutrients, light, and space. The effects of such competition will be greater
if the requirements of the trees and other plants are similar. These effects
can be reduced through the selection of appropriate tree species and a
pruning system designed to increase the availability of water, light, and
nutrients to other plants at important times in the growing season.
Nitrogen fixing trees can also enhance the growth of adjacent pasture
species by improving the soil and providing light shade. At the Centro
Agronmico de Investigacin y Enseanza (CATIE) in Turrialba, Costa
Rica, Erythrina poeppigiana was interplanted with pasture grasses at a
spacing of 6 x 6 m (277 trees/ha), and the trees were pruned every three
to six months. Four grass species had higher yields and higher crude
protein contents when interplanted with the trees than when planted in
pure stands. These were Panicum maximum, Brachiaria brizantha,
Brachiara humidicoia, and Cynodon nlemfuensis. Yields of two other
grass species, Brachiaria dictyoneura and Pennisetum purpureum,
decreased when interplanted with Erythrina.
Generally, grass species that grow under trees have higher yields, lower
root: shoot ratios, and a better nutrient composition (lower crude fiber and
higher crude protein content) than species that grow outside the tree
canopy. However, the shade-seeking behavior of grazing animals may
also affect pasture quality. Large numbers of animals crowded under
trees can lead to trampling that affects plant cover and causes soil
erosion and compacting. These conditions can also inhibit tree growth.
Table 1. Nitrogen fixing tree and shrub species for animal production on acid soils.
Table 2. Range of nutritive values (percent of dry matter) of nitrogen fixing trees
that tolerate acid soils.
Table 3. Unfertilized Gliricidia septum planted in fodder banks from seed and large
stakes: survival and fodder production after 10 prunings over a 30-month period
beginning 10 months after planting. Source: Molina et al. (1993).
Living fences
Hedges and living fence posts provide fine, conspicuous boundaries
around pastures. They may also serve as windbreaks, niches for insecteating birds, support for climbing plants, and shade and forage for
livestock. In addition, they shed leaves that provide mulch and release
nutrients to adjacent pasture grasses.
Farmers in Central America use a number of nitrogen fixing species that
are tolerant of acid soils for hedges and living fence posts. These include
Erythrina berteroana, Erythrina costancensis, Erythrina fusca, and
Gliricidia sepium. Fence posts are usually propagated from stakes 2.0 to
25 m long, taken from trees that are at least 12 months old. They are
generally planted 1 to 2 m apart. Well-established fence posts can
provide stakes for new fence posts, which farmers can use themselves or
sell for extra income.
For Erythrina species, the main management requirements are regular
pruning and replacing posts that die. The recommended practice is to
prune fence posts once a year, during the dry season, if the objective is to
produce woody stems rather than leafy biomass. Two prunings per year
are recommended to produce palatable leaves and sterns for livestock
fodder.
Gliricidia septum is probably the most extensively used species for living
fence posts in the American tropics. It yields a dense wood that is well
suited for construction poles and fuel. It also produces nutritious fodder.
At one site in the Atlantic lowlands of Costa Rica, 1 km of fencing with
posts spaced about 13 m apart yielded more than 1000 kg (dry matter) of
leaves suitable for livestock fodder. After pruning, Gliricidia resprouts
rapidly, producing branches that may be used as cuttings to establish
new fence posts.
References
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