Growth analysis of nine multipurpose woody legumes native from southern Mexico

Abstract

The growth of nine multipurpose woody legumes was evaluated in nursery conditions. These species, belonging to the genera Acacia, Leucaena, Lysiloma, Prosopis and Pithecellobium, inhabit both primary and secondary tropical deciduous and thorn forests. The total length of the experiments was 165 days. At a variable frequency, the following four variables were measured: (1) relative growth rate (RGR), (2) root/shoot ratio (R/S), (3) root length/root dry weight ratio (RL/RDW), and (4) stem length (SL). The temporal behavior of these variables differed greatly among species. A direct relationship between seed weight and initial biomass production was initially found; however, the effect of seed size on biomass production was lost as plants aged. At the initial harvest, RGR values did not differ significantly among species, but they did at the end of the experiment; Pithecellobium dulce had the lowest final RGR. The three Acacia species had the highest biomass productions and highest R/S ratios but the lowest RL/RDW ratios; A. farnesiana and Lysiloma divaricata had the largest mean SL, whereas the smallest mean SL corresponded to the two Leucaena species and to Lysiloma acapulcensis. Several recommendations concerning the management of plants in the nursery and the optimal timing for transplanting the seedlings to reforestation sites are provided.