Canopy management possibilities for arboreal Leucaena in mixed sorghum and livestock small farm production systems in semi-arid India |
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| Authors: | Drake Hocking D Gangadhar Rao |
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| Institution: | (1) Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture, P.O. Saidabad, 500659 Hyderabad, India;(2) Present address: Oxford Forestry Institute, South Parks Road, OX1 3RB Oxford, England |
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| Abstract: | A major problem for small farmers in the semi-arid tropics is the chronic shortage of fodder for draft animals. Leucaena leucocephala has improved productivity in many places in India and in various cropping systems, usually as either a pure crop or in a
hedgerow alley-cropping configuration. Mixed cropping with arboreal forms is seldom seen. For off-season fodder production,
hedgerows have the disadvantage of being open to unmanaged browsing when unfenced (as is usual). Arboreal forms are generally
far less vulnerable.
In this paper, the components of production of sorghum and arboreal Leucaena are measured under different intensities of canopy lopping. The most productive management system of those examined was pollarding
of the Leucaena at the time of under-sowing with sorghum. In a year with less than 50% of average seasonal rainfall, this system gave a yield
of 4.6 tonnes/ha/yr fresh wt fodder and 3.8 tonnes/ha/yr dry wt. of fuel harvests, while increasing the standing crop of wood
by 1.8 t/ha/yr and retaining a yield of sorghum grain equivalent to 46% of pure sorghum cropping; the LER of this system was
1.35.
Cash values of the alternative management systems were estimated, including the discounted Net Present Value of the standing
crop of timber. Maximum value was attained with unlopped pure crop Leucaena followed by pollarded Leucaena with sorghum; pure crop sorghum achieved a lower value.
These results demonstrate both the high productivity of Leucaena/sorghum based systems, and the stability of production even in poor rainfall conditions. Pollarding transferred the high
future value of Leucaena timber to the present value of sorghum grain and fuelwood. |
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| Keywords: | Leucaena leucocephala Sorghum bicolor semi-arid India agroforestry fodder fuelwood sorghum pollarding micro-climate biomass |
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