Do multipurpose companion trees affect high value timber trees in a silvopastoral plantation system?

Abstract

Establishment of native timber trees on deforested land may contribute to the livelihood of farmers, to improved ecosystem services and to increased greenhouse gas uptake. Here, we present a new silvopastoral planting design to assess species performance and interspecific competition or facilitation effects among native timber and multipurpose trees in Central America. Two timber species, Tabebuia rosea and Cedrela odorata, were established in three low-density planting regimes allowing combined tree and future livestock production: (1) solitary planting, (2) companion planting with Guazuma ulmifolia, and (3) companion planting with the nitrogen-fixing Gliricidia sepium. We quantified survival, growth and reforestation potential of the two timber species subjected to the different planting regimes for the first 2 years after establishment. Nitrogen concentration as well as stable nitrogen and carbon isotope composition (d 15 N, d 13 C) of leaves of the timber saplings were determined. T. rosea showed higher survival and better growth than C. odorata under varying environmental conditions (soil, concomitant vegetation). Performance of the timber saplings was unaffected by either companion species. Planting regimes had no effect on foliar nitrogen concentration and d 15 N of the two timber species, although d 15 N values indicated nitrogen fixation activity in G. sepium trees. Planting regimes affected foliar d 13 C values in T. rosea. d 13 C values were significantly higher in solitarily growing individuals, suggesting lower exposition to water stress conditions in saplings surrounded by companion species. As we found positively correlated growth traits among timber and multipurpose trees, a combined planting may benefit farmers by providing additional goods and services.

IntercroppingCedrela odoratawith Shrubby Crop Species to Reduce Infestation withHypsipyla grandellaand Improve the Quality of Timber

“…A wide range of survival rates for C. odorata can be found in other studies, which are, however, all below the high rates observed here [6,47,50,51] with the exception of the study by von Breugel et al [48] which looked at a variety of sites and also found survival rates of up to 90%. Due to high mortality rates, Plath et al [47] suggested C. odorata might best be planted at sites with well-drained soils. is was not supported by our study, as the high clay content of the present soils, which tended to be waterlogged during the rainy season, did not seem to adversely affect tree survival.…”

“…Maize should be considered with caution, due to the comparably high mortality of trees observed in this treatment. In another study in Panama, leguminous companion trees in silvopastoral systems did not have an effect on the growth performance of C. odorata within the �rst two years [47]. One possible explanation might be that the shrub species used in this study-C. cajan-is relatively fast growing, reaching up to 3 m aer 4 months, compared to the used leguminous trees in the cited study.…”

“…In Panama, mean heights of 0.5 to 2.2 m and mean basal diameters of 3 to 7.5 cm aer two years have been reported [16,[47][48][49]. A wide range of survival rates for C. odorata can be found in other studies, which are, however, all below the high rates observed here [6,47,50,51] with the exception of the study by von Breugel et al [48] which looked at a variety of sites and also found survival rates of up to 90%. Due to high mortality rates, Plath et al [47] suggested C. odorata might best be planted at sites with well-drained soils.…”

Effect of light quality on Tabebuia rosea seed germination

“…DC., a member of the Bignoniaceae family, is a tree growing in tropical forests (Woodson et al 1973) from the sea level to 1,200 m (Gentry 1992). This species is used for urban ornamentation (Joselin et al 2013), for furniture and general construction (Petrone & Preti 2010, Joselin et al 2013, in agroforestry (Cajas-Giron & Sinclair 2001, Petrone & Preti 2010, Plath et al 2011) and as a medicinal plant (Ugbabe et al 2010, Jiménez-González et al 2013. Even some studies suggest this species might be employed to develop anticancer medicines (Sathiya & Muthuchelian 2010).…”

“…Even some studies suggest this species might be employed to develop anticancer medicines (Sathiya & Muthuchelian 2010). T. rosea is also important for its potential use in reforestation and ecological restoration programs (Hernández Gil et al 2010, Castro-Marin et al 2011, Plath et al 2011). This utility is because its management is well-known…”