An agroforestry production system based on the acacia species faidherbia albida has shown great promise to provide an energy input by adding nitrogen to some agricultural systems. With its peculiar reverse phenology, it makes growth demands at a different time from that of crops. Files are available under licenses specified on their description page. Soil degradation has led to reduced crop yields in malawi. Quantifying nutrient deposition and yield levels of maize. With its nitrogenfixing qualities, the tall, longlived acacia tree, faidherbia albida mgunga in swahili could limit the use of fertilizers. We identified two functional classes subdivided into two functional groups of each class.
Photo courtesy ken coppola and the desert legume program. Faidherbia albida agroforests with minimum tillage maize provide organic fertilizer and abundant nutritious livestock fodder, sequester carbon, and offer protection from water and wind erosion. Faidherbia albida and acacia erioloba are important fodder trees for the livestock of local farmers and wildlife along ephemeral rivers of the namib desert. Faidherbia albida, a dryland thorn tree with numerous. Faidherbia albida is an ideal agroforestry tree commonly intercropped with annual crops like millet and groundnuts in the dry and densely populated areas of africa.
Faidherbia albida in the germplasm resources information network grin, u. This file is licensed under the creative commons attributionshare alike 3. A magnificent, widespreading thorn tree with bluegreen, fernlike foliage. The tree has received little management and research attention over the years leading to overexploitation by the local communities.
You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in. Functional responses of four sahelian tree species to. Genetic variation in acacia albida faidherbia albida and its. Furthermore, sileshi 2016 reported that faidherbia albida parklands modify soil moisture availability through increased infiltration, fallen leaves of faidherbia albida is commonly used as a fertilizer in farming systems tekalign et al. Greenish grey to whitish grey colour and smoothness is evident on the young stems, but grey and smooth to rough on older branches and stems. Faidherbia albida is a deciduous and indigenous tree species that is characterized by fast growth and grow up to a height of 30 m tall. Introduction the faidherbia albida tree is unusual in that it drops its leaves at the beginning of the rains and is dormant during the wet growing season, and so does not compete with plants growing beneath its canopy. A study on the variability in seed and seedling traits of faidherbia albida. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.
The only member of the faidherbia genus, it is frequently mistaken for an acacia. In addition, it deposits great amount of organic fertilizer on food crops. All structured data from the file and property namespaces is available under the creative commons cc0 license. Journal of applied biosciences african journals online. It is a thorny tree that produces yellow flowers and orange to brown colored seed pods, which fall about three months after the flowers bloom. Effect of some tree species in nutrient enrichment of semi. Page proofs are considered to be the final version of the manuscript. Redirect this redirect does not require a rating on the projects quality scale. Faidherbia albida f a taxonomic species within the family fabaceae applering acacia, ana tree, winter thorn, native to africa and the middle east. Inherently low soil fertility and costly chemical fertilizers contribute to low maize yield and food insecurity among rural smallholder farmers in subsaharan africa. Faidherbia albida is a member of the family fabaceae, subfamily mimosoideae, and tribe acaciaea 2. The parklands deliver multiple benefits, including fuelwood, soil nutrient replenishment, moisture conservation, and improved crop yield underneath the canopy. Acacia albida is a widely used tree well documented for increasing the yields of crops grown under it.
Uses the unusual phenology and the ability to fix nitrogen makes f. Unique acacia trees promise to revive african soils. The pdf file you selected should load here if your web browser has a pdf reader plugin installed for example, a recent version of adobe acrobat reader if you would like more information about how to print, save, and work with pdfs, highwire press provides a helpful frequently asked questions about pdfs alternatively, you can download the pdf file directly to your computer, from where it. Common names include applering acacia their circular, indehiscent seed pods resemble apple rings, and winter thorn.
Presenting author reference title time room importance of. The use of fertilizer trees such as faidherbia albida faidherbia to improve the soil fertility and yield of maize is recognized by many as a good practice. The species is native to africa and the middle east and has also been introduced to pakistan and india. Its distinctive key features, such as reverse phenology leaves grow in the long, dry season and shed during the rainy season and nitrogenfixing ability, mean that f. Faidherbia albida t acacia nilotica acacia tortilis r.
While raising crop yields, african thorn tree faidherbia. Pdf the role of faidherbia albida tree species in parkland. The use of faidherbia albida as an intercrop with cereals in subsaharan africa. On a vertisol under 850 mm rainfall, at an altitude of 1850 m, faidherbia albida trees that occurred at 6. The first class included deciduous and semideciduous species that generally had large sla, low leaf thickness and smalltointermediate interseasonal variations in. But conservation agriculture preserving soil structure by practising minimum tillage farming and planting the nitrogenfixing faidherbia albida acacia tree could restore degraded land, reduce input costs and potentially triple maize yields. The second class included evergreen species of two functional groups that differ in sla, leaf thickness and the magnitude of inter. August temu, the deputy director general in charge of partnerships at the world agroforestry centre icraf says that there is a scramble both in kenya and africa at large, for the. Creamy white spike flower in the spring fruiting an. Geographical variation and physiological studies in faidherbia albida del. Faidherbia albida is one of the fastest growing indigenous trees. Creamy white spike flower in the spring fruiting an unusual curled. Another promising fertilizer tree, faidherbia albida, presents one of the few examples of intercropping being practiced at.
It is the only species which loses its leaves during the rainy season. These useful trees play an important role in carbon sequestration, a critical part of the effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions linked to climate change people in many areas of africa gain numerous benefits from the leaves, branches and trunks of the dryland. One goal of agroforestry science is to refine, adapt and extend faidherbia systems to tens of. Moderately fast growing, the tree has greyish, rough bark. Known scientifically as faidherbia acacia albida, and going by the common name of the whitethorn, this tree species cannot be found anywhere outside africa. The reverse phenology of faidherbia albida a growing culture. Variation in seed and seedling traits of faidherbia albida african.
Its branches bear paired thorns and its leaves are pinnate with 623 pairs of small oblong leaflets. Faidherbia albida plantinfo everything and anything. The role of faidherbia albida tree species in parkland agroforestry and its management in ethiopia. The relationship between energy inputs and agricultural productivity is a critical aspect of the foodenergywater nexus. Gao hausa, msangu chewa, apple ring acacia, and winter thornl is monly found throughout the subhumid and semiarid zones of subsahara africa at elevations below 2000 m wickens, 1969. This study examined the litterfall pattern, quantity, and nutrient. The study demonstrated the potential of improving infiltration by managing trees and soil organic matter. Faidherbia albida is a unique tree species native to africa, the middle east, and india 1. Concentrations of n, c, p and k were higher under tree canopies.
Faidherbia albida, agroforestry parklands, seed pretreatments. Leaves entering soils are comparable to fertilization. The parklands deliver multiple benefits, including fuelwood, soil nutrient replenishment, moisture conservation, and. Lkcorce est brune i gris mat ou blanchtitre, lisse dans le jeune ige puis bcailleuse et fissurbe, plus ou moins litgeuse avec iage. Phenotypic characteristics of rootnodulating bacteria.
Faidherbia albida and its effects on ethiopian highland vertisols. The mulch created by falling leaf litter and the canopy shade at planting time favors crop. It has branching stems and an erect to roundish crown. The west african provenances were the poorest in growth.
Faidherbia albida keystone of evergreen agriculture in africa one goal of agroforestry science is to refine, adapt and extend faidherbia systems to tens of millions more farmers and to pastoral communities throughout the african continent. Authors can freely download the pdf file from which they can print unlimited. Department of agriculture agricultural research service. Faidherbia albida ana tree indigenous south african.
Pdf energy and climate change mitigation benefits of. While raising crop yields, african thorn tree faidherbia albida captures large amounts of carbon. Pdf phenology, flowering and fructification were studied in 5 natural populations of faidherbia albida in a semiarid zone in senegal. Greenish grey to whitish grey colour and smoothness is evident on the young stems, but grey and smooth to rough on. Description bark on stemm of large treefaidherbia albida is one of the fastest growing indigenous trees. Faidherbia is a genus of leguminous plants containing one species, faidherbia albida, which was formerly widely included in the genus acacia as acacia albida. Text is available under the creative commons attributionsharealike license. Faidherbia albida parklands cover a large area of the sudanosahelian zone of africa, a region that suffers from soil fertility decline, food insecurity and climate change. Faidherbia albida is a large tree reaching 90 feet in height in its native habitat of south africa wide spread along floodplains, dry watercourses, and swamps. Faidherbia albida an overview sciencedirect topics. Pdf faidherbia albida monography and annotated bibliography. Frontiers energy and climate change mitigation benefits. A large, old faidherbia albida tree with a metreplus diameter stored the equivalent of the co 2 emitted by 8 cars over one year. Some 500,000 farmers in malawi, tanzania, and zambia cultivate their crops in faidherbia agroforests and.
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