Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
combination of perennial and annual plant species as different components
in the same piece of land arranged in a geometry that facilitates maxi-
mum utilization of space in four dimensions (length, width, height and
depth) leading to maximum economic productivity of the system. Land
use systems based on mixed tree crops have clear advantages over annual
cropping systems for the maintenance of soil fertility in the humid trop-
ics. The advantages include permanent soil protection; a more favorite
environment for soil biological processes, which affect litter decomposi-
tion and soil structural improvement, and more efficient nutrient cycling.
Therefore, the integration of deep-rooting trees into the production system
increases the nutrient availability in the topsoil, if the quantity of nutrients
taken up from below the crop-rooting zone is greater than the quantity
stored in the tree biomass and undecomposed tree litter. Research con-
ducted on different fruit based multitier cropping system have indicated a
productivity level of 12 to 15 tons per ha against 8-1 0 tons per ha under
traditional system of orcharding in the plateau regions of eastern India.
Inclusion of different grass species in the horti-pastoral system is a boon
for rainfed areas since animal contribute a significant proportion to the
total productivity of rainfed farming system. Some of the grass species
which can be grown under horti-silvi-pastoral system in rainfed conditions
are
Sehima nervosum, Dicanthium annulatum, Heteropogon contortus,
Chrysopogon fulvus, Iseilema laxum, Desmodium intertum, Desmodium
uncinatum, Glycine wightii, Stylosanthes guinensis, Stylosanthes hamata,
Stylosanthes humilis, Stylosanthes scabra, Lablab purpureus, Macrop-
tilium ateropurpureum, Lasiurus sindicus, Cenchrus ciliaris, Cenchrus
setigerus, Panicum antidotale, Atylosia
sp.
Tree components in fruit crop based multitier cropping system can be
significant sink of atmospheric carbon due to their fast growth and high
biomass production. Fruit tree based cropping system can arguably in-
crease the amount of C stored in the lands devoted to agriculture while
still allowing for growing of food crops. Study on carbon sequestration
potential of an rainfed aonla-green gram based agri-horticulture system
have indicated increase in soil organicarbon from 8.35 t/ha to 13.42 t/ha
in a period of 25 years. Similarly carbon sequestered by the system varied
from 8.7 to 30.12 t C/ha whereas CO
2
equivalent carbon sequestered in
the system varied from 31.89 to 110.47 t CO
2
equivalent C per ha during
different years.
