Calliandra Calothyrsus Research Articles

Decomposition and nutrient release from leaves, twigs and roots of three alley-cropped tree legumes in central Togo

The decomposition of leaves, twigs and roots of two diameter classes (<1.5 mm, 1.5–5 mm) were examined in an alley cropping experiment withGliricidia sepium, Calliandra calothyrsus andSenna sianea in the subhumid savanna of Central Togo using the litterbag technique. The effect of the application of leaves and twigs as mulch or green manure was examined.

Growth of four tree species managed as hedgerows in response to liming on an acid soil in West Sumatra, Indonesia

A hedgerow intercropping study was conducted for 7 years in West Sumatra, Indonesia on an acid and highly Al-saturated soil to determine growth and yield responses of tree hedgerows and upland rice and cowpea intercrops. Three tree species,Paraserianthes falcataria, Calliandra calothyrsus, andGliricidia sepium and a no-tree control were planted at three lime rates with low annual fertilizer inputs of 20 kg P and 50 kg K ha−1.Paraserianthes andCalliandra grew vigorously, whileGliricidia grew poorly and was replaced after four years withFlemingia macrophylla. After four years,Paraserianthes yields declined due to tree mortality, probably due to intensive pruning.Calliandra andFlemingia were well adapted to intensive pruning (4 to 6 times per year).

Growth of ten multipurpose tree species on acid soils in Sangmelima, Cameroon

Ten multipurpose tree species were planted both in monoculture and intercropped withArachis hypogea (groundnut) in a randomized complete block with three replications. The vigrou, biomass, nutrient content, and coppicing percentage of the trees were evaluated. Intercropping with groundnuts during the establishment phase did not affect subsequent growth and development of the species.Acacia mangium, Acacia auriculiformis, Cassia siamea, Calliandra calothyrsus andParaserianthes falcataria established well, when compared toGliricidia sepium, Leucaena leucocephala, Dialum guineense, Dubocia macrocarpa andMilicia excelsa. A. mangium, A. auriculiformis, C. calothyrsus, C. siamea andP. falcataria produced the highest leaf (4 to 20 t ha−1) and wood (12 to 37 t ha−1) biomass yield (primary growth) at one to three years after planting. Coppicing percentage ofA. mangium A. auriculiformis andP. falcataria were relatively low (35 to 50%).C. calothyrsus andC. siamea showed the highest coppicing percentage (95 to 100%) and produced the greatest coppice biomass (9 to 13 t ha−1). Total nitrogen and organic matter percentage of soils from under the stands of these two species were also significantly higher than that of the rest. The two species may thus be considered for use in agroforestry technologies for soil improvement on acid soils, which are typical of the moist tropics.

Rumen degradation and in vivo digestibility of dried Calliandra calothyrsus leaves

Leaves and young shoots of Calliandra calothyrsus were harvested in Kisii (Kenya) at 12, 24 and 48 weeks regrowth after the first cutting. The material was sun dried, ground, put in nylon bags and incubated in the rumen of three cannulated lactating Friesian cows fed pre-wilted English rye grass silage ad libitum and supplemented with 2 kg concentrate per day. The bags were removed at 3, 6, 12, 24, 48, 72 and 336 h after the start of incubation. The different parameters characterising the extent and rate of ruminal degradation of dry matter and nitrogen were calculated. In sacco residue of dry matter and nitrogen increased, while rumen degradable protein and intestinal digestible protein decreased with plant maturity. In vivo digestibility studies were done with one mature (2 years old) and two young wethers (8 months old), Swifter cross-bred sheep. Dry matter digestibility of 41.6% was found in 24-week-old dried Calliandra leaves.

Application of the pipe model theory to non-destructive estimation of leaf biomass and leaf area of pruned agroforestry trees

The relationship of branch cross sectional area (CS) to leaf biomass (LM) and leaf area (LA) was studied in three agroforestry tree species,Calliandra calothyrsus Maissn.,Erythrina berteroana Urban andErythrina poeppigiana (Walpers) O.F. Cook, to develop a non-destructive method for the estimation of LM and LA for trees managed with periodic pruning. Variation in these relationships was observed according to the bifurcation level and, in theErythrina spp., by clone. All the relationships were linear except the CS-LM relation in small branches ofE. poeppigiana, where it was initially exponential. At main branch level the relationship of CS to LM and LA was linear in all cases but the regression parameter values varied between species and clones, with determination coefficient (R2) 0.88–0.99. It was concluded that the ratio of main branch CS to LM and LA can be used for non-destructive estimation of the latter variables. The method has the additional benefit that the regression parameter value reflects the allocation of dry matter within a tree and, consequently, may give indications about its possible uses in different agroforestry systems.

Growth of forage tree legumes at four agro-climatic sites in Indonesia

SUMMARYThe growth of the tree legumes Leucaena leucocephala, Gliricidia sepium, Sesbania sesban, Sesbania grandiflora, Albizia falcataria and Calliandra calothyrsus was evaluated at four sites in Indonesia between 1984 and 1986. Tree seedlings were planted at 10000 trees/ha and, after an establishment period of 9–12 months, harvested every 3 months for a 2-year period.At Bambu Apus, West Java (2040 mm annual rainfall, 1 month dry period, lowland, latosol with pH 5·6 decreasing with depth), G. sepium and C. calothyrsus produced 13 and 10 t/ha per year of leaf dry matter, respectively. Other species did not grow well at this site and fewer than 60% of the trees of these species survived until the end of the experimental period. At Sei Putih, North Sumatra (1550 mm annual rainfall, 3 months dry period, lowland, podzolic with pH 5·5 increasing with depth), no species produced &gt; 6 t/ha per year of leaf dry matter. The highest yielding species were L. leucocephala and A. falcataria. At Cisarua, West Java (3340 mm annual rainfall, no dry periods, 925 m altitude, latosol with pH 5–6 increasing with depth) only C. calothyrsus grew well and produced 9 t/ha per year of leaf dry matter. At Grati, East Java (1500 mm annual rainfall, 6 months dry period, lowland, alluvial with pH 6·6 increasing with depth) L. leucocephala produced &gt; 8 t·ha per year of leaf dry matter, while none of the C. calothyrsus and A. falcataria trees survived the first dry season.Although L. leucocephala has been the most widely grown tree legume species in the tropics, C. calothyrsus and G. sepium performed better at the wetter sites and at high altitude.

Losses of dry matter, nitrogen, minerals and fibre fractions from nylon bags containing Leucaena leucocephala and two Calliandra species in the rumen

Shoot material of Leucaena leucocephala (leucaena), Calliandra calothyrsus and Calliandra surinamensis was incubated for 12, 24, 36 and 48 h in nylon bags suspended in the rumen of a steer and losses of various components of the feed measured. Leucaena had much faster rates of loss of dry matter (DM), N, P and Ca. Leucaena had also a faster S loss than Calliandra calothyrsus, whereas C. surinamensis showed very high levels of soluble S. Loss of neutral detergent fibre (NDF) after 48 h was also far greater with leucaena than C. surinamensis (46.4% vs. 10.3%), whereas with C. calothyrsus there appeared to be an increase in NDF and ADF. For all species, acid detergent lignin (ADL) appeared to be higher than initial plant values throughout the period of incubation; markedly so for C. calothyrsus. The Calliandra spp. had high levels of silica and Al in their DM. Our findings and other published results, indicate that the Calliandra spp. investigated may not be a suitable alternative to leucaena as a ruminant feed.

Rhizobia that nodulate tree legumes: specificity of the host for nodulation and effectiveness

Rhizobial specificity, defined in terms of nodulation and nitrogen-fixing effectiveness characteristics of a group of rhizobia on a host legume, serves as a basis for predicting the need to inoculate, selecting species for most probable number plant-infection assays, and preparing rhizobial inoculants suitable for a range of legume species. A series of inoculation experiments were performed under growth room and greenhouse conditions to delineate rhizobial specificity of a variety of tree legumes. Gliricidia sepium, Calliandra calothyrsus, and Leucaena leucocephala nodulated effectively with rhizobia isolated from each of the three genera. With a few exceptions, Sesbania grandiflora and Robinia pseudoacacia nodulated effectively only with rhizobial strains isolated from each genus respectively. A range of specificity was found among species that nodulate with Bradyrhizobium. Whereas Acacia mearnsii nodulated with most strains but fixed N2 effectively with relatively few, Acacia mangium and Lysiloma latisiliqua were specific for both nodulation and effectiveness. Key words: nitrogen fixation, effectiveness, nodulation, rhizobia, tree legumes.

Evaluation of the Leaf of a Range of Tree Legumes as a Source of Nitrogen for Crop Growth

SUMMARYThe leaf mulch of the tree legumes Acacia cunninghamii, A. fimbriata, Calliandra calothyrsus, Gliricidia sepium, Leucaena leucocephala and Sesbania sesban was evaluated as a source of nitrogen for maize growth in glasshouse pot experiments. The mulch of Sesbania sesban resulted in the largest yields of maize stover but yields were less than those that resulted from application of equivalent rates of fertilizer nitrogen. The mulches of Gliricidia and Leucaena also produced a yield response in maize but those of Calliandra and the two Acacia species were ineffective as sources of nitrogen in the short term. Sesbania mulch at the equivalent of 5 t dry matter ha-1 produced a maize yield similar to that obtained with 75 kg N ha-1. The poor response to Calliandra and Acacia mulch may be associated with the high polyphenol and/or lignin content of the leaf of these species.

Soil solid and solution phase changes and mung bean response during amelioration of aluminium toxicity with organic matter

A soil incubation and short-term root growth experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of organic matter application on Al toxicity alleviation in a highly weathered acid soil. Ground leaves of a tree legume (Calliandra calothyrsus Meissn.), ground barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) straw, or CaCO3 were mixed at various rates with A-horizon soil of a red podzolic soil (Epiaquic Haplustult) and incubated at 90% of field capacity for 4 or 10 weeks. After the incubation, a short term (48 h) root growth test was conducted using mung bean (Vigna radiata (L.) Wilczek), followed by the analysis of the solution and solid phases of the post-harvest soil.

Response ofAcacia niloticaandCalliandra calothyrsusto different VA Mycorrhizal fungi

Abstract An investigation was carried out to screen and select efficient vesicular arbuscular mycorrhizal (VAM) fungi for two slow‐growing forest tree species, Acacia nilotica (Lam.) Willd. ex Delile and Calliandra calothyrsus Meissn. The seedlings were inoculated with 13 different VAM fungi, obtained from various sources around the world. Inoculated plants had greater plant height, leaf number, stem girth, biomass, and P and Zn content. They also had more mycorrhizal root colonization, spores, and external hyphae in soil. Acacia nilotica seedlings responded best to inoculation with Glomus mosseae (ICRISAT), followed by Glomus caledonicum, whereas Calliandra calothyrsus responded best to Glomus velum and Glomus merredum, both fungi being equally good.

Early growth of alley shrubs in the Highland region of Rwanda

Early growth of some woody shrubs used in alley cropping were studied in the Buberuka Highland and Central Plateau region of Rwanda. The altitudinal ranges for the two agroecological zones are 1800–2400 m and 1500–1900 m respectively. First, early growth of Sesbania sesban (Sesbania) as affected by intercropped bean, potato, pea and wheat was studied. Second, effect of lime and manure applications on growth of Sesbania, Leucaena sp (Leucaena), Calliandra Calothyrsus (Calliandra) and Markhamia lutea (Markhamia) was investigated. Third, growth of Sesbania and Leucaena at selected locations were examined. Bean grown in association with Sesbania enhanced the growth of the shrub in the Central Plateau region. At both sites, growth of Sesbania was retarded by intercropped pea. Growth of Sesbania increased significantly during the dry season in June and July. Biomass and height after one years' growth of Sesbania were higher in the Buberuka than in the Central Plateau region. Growth of the shrubs is ranked as: sesbania > Leucaena > Calliandra > Markhamia in the Buberuka Highlands. Farmyard manure generally increased the growth rates of the shrubs. Calliandra and Leucaena were most responsive to liming. The response of Leucaena to liming decreased with manure application but no definite trend was observed for Calliandra, Sesbania and Markhamia. Sesbania and Markhamia were least influenced by application of lime. Their respective LRI's were 0.35 and 0.46. The average growth rates for Sesbania and Leucaena at selected locations ranged between 26.4–62.2 cm/month and 13.1–27.4 cm per month respectively.

EVALUATION OF TREES AND SHRUBS FOR FORAGE AND FUEL WOOD IN NORTHEAST THAILAND

SUMMARY Seventeen provenances of 14 predominantly leguminous tree and shrub species were evaluated for forage and fuelwood production over a thirty month period at Khon Kaen, Northeast Thailand. When cut at a 1 m height five times during the experimental period, Enterolobium cyclocarpum, Cassia siamea, Gmelina arborea and Leucaena leucocephala gave the highest yields of edible material with accumulated dry matter production of over 2 kg per tree. These same species also gave high yields of woody stem, which has value as firewood in the region. Mortality of the more productive species was low but others, such as Sesbania sesban, S. grandiflora and S. formosa, suffered almost 100% mortality in this monsoonal environment under these management conditions. The leaf of Sesbania sesban was the most digestible of all species with an in vitro dry matter digestibility of 79%. The leaves of all other species except Calliandra calothyrsus had digestibilities greater than 50% with most in the range 60–65%. The crude protein content of the leaf material of the species tested ranged from 13% to 28%. The other species tested were Adenanthera pavonia, Albizia chinensis, A. falcataria, A. lebbek, Pithocellobium dulce, and Samanea saman.

Flavonol glycoside distribution in cultivars and hybrids of Leucaena leucocephala

AbstractFlavonol glycosides found in the leaves of Leucaena leucocephala comprised the 3‐arabinosides, 3‐rhamnosides and 3‐glucuronides of quercetin and myricetin, and quercetin‐3‐rhamnosylglucoside, at a total concentration of 3–4%. In cultivars of high productivity (Peru, El Salvador (K28) and Cunningham) all seven compounds occurred with a largely constant pattern of relative concentrations. However in the cosmopolitan form naturalised throughout the tropics the 3‐arabinosides were invariably absent. The same feature which was conspicuous on the high performance liquid chromatography trace, occurred with a low frequency (ca 10%) in Peru and Cunningham. The pattern provides a quick method for identifying the provenance of commercial leucaena leaf meal, and also for detecting blending or adulteration with other leaf meals. The flavonol glycoside distribution of those species associated with ‘leucaena’ leaf meal (Acacia villosa, Calliandra calothyrsus, Manihot utilissima and Sesbania grandiflora) is very different, and all have fewer compounds. All compounds occur in the apical tissue of young leucaena seedlings, enabling identification of cultivar from seed in 10 days. Comparison of leaf flavonol patterns for L. leucocephala, L. pulverulenta their known F1 hybrid, and an entity known locally in Java as ‘L. glabrata’ strongly suggest a hybrid origin for the latter.

Plant diversity and energy potency of community forestin East Kalimantan, Indonesia: Searching for fast growing wood species for energy production

Abstract. Amirta R, Yuliansyah, Angi EM, Ananto BR, Setiyono B, Haqiqi MT, Septiana HA, Lodong M, Oktavianto RN. 2016. Plant diversity and energy potency of community forest in East Kalimantan, Indonesia: Searching for fast-growing wood species for energy production. Nusantara Bioscience 8: 22-30. Nowadays, there is an increasing interest in intensifying the production and use of biomass to replace fossil fuels for the production of heat and electricity, especially for a remote area that generally abundance with the wood biomass resources including in East Kalimantan, Indonesia. In this work, diversity of plant species that commonly grows in community forest area of East Kutai District, East Kalimantan, Indonesia had been studied to point out their energy potency to be used as biomass feedstock for the electricity generated. Diversity of plant species in the community forest was evaluated by making 13 sampling plots with 20mx20m size approximately. Concurrently, the energy properties of plant biomass such as proximate and ultimate compositions were also analyzed using ASTM methods. Results showed that more than 30 species of tropical trees and wood shrubs were grown in the community forest. The presence of them was classified into two different growths of origins: natural and artificial plantation, and also three different categories of plant resources: tree species from logged-over forest, commercial fast-growing plant tree species for the fiber production and wood shrubs. The highest dominancy and productivity was found in Paraserianthes falcataria (L.) Nielsen since the wood biomass was artificially planted for commercial purposes. Among the 31 plant species analyzed we found the highest energy potency was obtained from Cratoxylum cochinchinense (Lour.) Blume that produced 3.17 MWh/ton, and the lowest was from Trema orientalis (L.) Blume 0.97 MWh/ton. The wood shrubs species such as Vernonia amygdalina Delile., Piper aduncum L., Gliricidia sepium (Jacq.) Kunth ex Walp., Calliandra calothyrsus Meissner., Bridelia tomentosa Blume, Vitex pinnata L., Vernonia arborea Buch.-Ham. and Bauhinia purpurea var. corneri de Wit. were suitable to be used as sustainable feedstocks for the electricity generated and promising to be developed as energy plant species in the future using Short Rotation Coppice system (SRC).