Initial Shoot and Root Growth Patterns of Cordia alliodora in Agroforestry Systems with Perennial Crops in the Atlantic Lowlands of Costa Rica

Abstract

ABSTRACT Through a participatory research approach with small farmers in the tropical humid Atlantic lowlands of Costa Rica, the importance of selecting appropriate propagation methods for Cordia alliodora (common name: laurel) in perennial crop fields was studied. Trees were established on alluvial loam soils (Typic Tropofluvents) as container plants, stumps or direct seeding, either without crops (Experiments A1, B1) or in association with plantain (Experiment B2: 918 plants ha−1), Musa x paradisiaca (L.) AAB, or a mixture of plantain (553 plants ha−1) and cacao, Theobroma cacao L. (1111 plants ha−1) (Experiments A2: cacao established at the same time as laurel, Experiment A3: cacao established 16 months before laurel). Six months after planting, B1-trees were three times higher than B2-trees, except for trees established by direct seeding which remained smaller in both experiments and were twice as high in B1. At age twelve months, perennial crops in A2 and A3 did not affect tree height compared to A1. However, plant biomass of container plants and stumps decreased significantly when they were planted with the crops. The reduced tree growth in association with the crops mainly was related to the reduction of light availability. Stumps had higher root/shoot ratios than container plants due to the fact that the stump material consisted mainly of tap root from which shoot and roots had to be regenerated and probably also due to the removal of suppressed shoots from stumps six months after establishment. It was concluded that both container and stump plants can be used successfully to establish laurel in plantain or plantain-cacao fields.