Abstract
Smallholder dairy farmers in Natural Region II, especially in Chikwaka Communal Area, adopted Acacia angustissima, Calliandra calothyrsus and Leucaena leucocephala in the 1995/96 season as alternatives for supplementing expensive commercial dairy feeds. Although several on-station trials have been done in the subhumid region of Zimbabwe, there have been no studies assessing on-farm yields of the introduced fodder species. This study evaluated productivity in a communal area under varying soil (pH, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) and management conditions (protection and tree density). Leaf productivity was high on farms with relatively higher soil P. Leaf yields ranged from 0.4–3.3 t DM ha−1 for A. angustissima, 0.8–5.6 t DM ha−1 for C. calothyrsus and 0.2-0.7 t DM ha−1 for L. leucocephala, with mean values of 2.2, 2.6 and 0.4 t DM ha−1, respectively. The low yields of L. leucocephala were associated with psyllid (Heteropsylla cubana) infestation. Decrease in tree density (low population) resulted in reduced yield. Poor performance was also attributed to uncontrolled browsing. Influence of soil characteristics could not be confirmed, but there were indications that low soil phosphorus may have adversely affected tree growth. The yields were generally lower than on-station, which implies that there is room for improving fodder tree yields in this subhumid region, through improving the availability of P, planting a high density of trees, and protecting them from uncontrolled browsing.
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Claims 11
Claim · model-written summary
Leaf productivity was high on farms with relatively higher soil phosphorus.
- Taxon
- Acacia angustissima, Calliandra calothyrsus and Leucaena leucocephala
Leucaena leucocephala.jpg?width=60)
Acaciella angustissima
Calliandra calothyrsust0 - Compound
- soil Pe0
- Outcome
- Leaf productivitye0
- Direction
- highe0
- Setting
- farmse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
.jpg?width=500)
Verbatim
e0“Leaf productivity was high on farms with relatively higher soil P.”
t0“Acacia angustissima, Calliandra calothyrsusandLeucaena leucocephalain”
Claim · model-written summary
A. angustissima leaf yield ranged from 0.4–3.3 t DM ha−1, with a mean of 2.2 t DM ha−1.
- Taxon
- A. angustissimaAcaciella angustissimae0
- Outcome
- Leaf yieldse0
- Value
- 0.4–3.3 t DM ha−1e0
- Setting
- farmse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Leaf productivity was high on farms with relatively higher soil P. Leaf yields ranged from 0.4–3.3 t DM ha−1 for A. angustissima, 0.8–5.6 t DM ha−1 for C. calothyrsus and 0.2-0.7 t DM ha−1 for L. leucocephala, with mean values of 2.2, 2.6 and 0.4 t DM ha−1, respectively.”
Claim · model-written summary
C. calothyrsus leaf yield ranged from 0.8–5.6 t DM ha−1, with a mean of 2.6 t DM ha−1.
- Taxon
- C. calothyrsusCalliandra calothyrsuse0
- Outcome
- Leaf yieldse0
- Value
- 0.8–5.6 t DM ha−1e0
- Setting
- farmse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Leaf productivity was high on farms with relatively higher soil P. Leaf yields ranged from 0.4–3.3 t DM ha−1 for A. angustissima, 0.8–5.6 t DM ha−1 for C. calothyrsus and 0.2-0.7 t DM ha−1 for L. leucocephala, with mean values of 2.2, 2.6 and 0.4 t DM ha−1, respectively.”
Claim · model-written summary
L. leucocephala leaf yield ranged from 0.2-0.7 t DM ha−1, with a mean of 0.4 t DM ha−1.
- Taxon
- L. leucocephalaLeucaena leucocephalae0
- Outcome
- Leaf yieldse0
- Value
- 0.2-0.7 t DM ha−1e0
- Setting
- farmse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Leaf productivity was high on farms with relatively higher soil P. Leaf yields ranged from 0.4–3.3 t DM ha−1 for A. angustissima, 0.8–5.6 t DM ha−1 for C. calothyrsus and 0.2-0.7 t DM ha−1 for L. leucocephala, with mean values of 2.2, 2.6 and 0.4 t DM ha−1, respectively.”
Claim · model-written summary
Low L. leucocephala yields were associated with psyllid infestation.
- Taxon
- L. leucocephalaLeucaena leucocephalae0
- Interactor
- Heteropsylla cubana
.jpg?width=60)
Heteropsylla cubanae0pest - Outcome
- low yieldse0
- Direction
- lowe0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
.jpg?width=500)
Verbatim
e0“The low yields of L. leucocephala were associated with psyllid (Heteropsylla cubana) infestation.”
Claim · model-written summary
Decreasing tree density reduced fodder tree yield.
Not reportedComparator
Verbatim
e0“Decrease in tree density (low population) resulted in reduced yield.”
Claim · model-written summary
Uncontrolled browsing contributed to poor fodder tree performance.
Verbatim
e0“Poor performance was also attributed to uncontrolled browsing. Influence of soil characteristics could not be confirmed, but there were indications that low soil phosphorus may have adversely affected tree growth.”
Claim · model-written summary
The influence of soil characteristics on fodder tree productivity could not be confirmed.
Verbatim
e0“Influence of soil characteristics could not be confirmed, but there were indications that low soil phosphorus may have adversely affected tree growth.”
Claim · model-written summary
Low soil phosphorus may have adversely affected fodder tree growth.
Verbatim
e0“Influence of soil characteristics could not be confirmed, but there were indications that low soil phosphorus may have adversely affected tree growth.”
Claim · model-written summary
On-farm fodder tree yields were generally lower than on-station yields.
Verbatim
e0“The yields were generally lower than on-station, which implies that there is room for improving fodder tree yields in this subhumid region, through improving the availability of P, planting a high density of trees, and protecting them from uncontrolled browsing.”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors propose improving phosphorus availability, tree density, and protection from browsing to raise fodder tree yields.
Verbatim
e0“there is room for improving fodder tree yields in this subhumid region, through improving the availability of P, planting a high density of trees, and protecting them from uncontrolled browsing.”