| Neem in Agroforestry |
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By: Dr. A. S. Gill, Principal Scientist, IGFRI, Jhansi (UP) India -284003 Neem (Azadirachta indica) has been held in high esteem in India because of its medicinal and insecticidal properties. For a farmer the tree provided seeds, leaf and bark which could be converted into fertilizer and pest control material. Besides it also provided medicinal potions for cattle and livestock. Currently all over the world wherever it is possible, attempts are being to plant the tree. Recently, Vietnam has been included where a massive neem plantation is going on. Neem can be planted at farm/field boundaries, roadsides, canal banks, riverbanks and wherever any space is vacant. Under arable farming, the neem tree can be successfully planted especially in the rainfed/dryland conditions. Out of the total cultivated area in the country, more than 50 percent is fully dependent on rains. Neem is the most ideal tree known to be successful under arid and sub arid rain-fed situations. It is one of the most suitable trees for it use in various agroforestry systems. Agroforestry is mainly a land use system where the woody perennial species play the dominant role. The technology is known for its dynamism and is ecologically sound. The primary aim is to protect the natural resources like air, water and soil. Agroforestry fulfills both the production and the service roles. Agroforestry system is famous for “5F”. These are production of food, fruit, fuel, fodder and fibre from the same unit of land per unit of time. The service roles are conservation of soil and moisture, act as shelterbelt/wind breaks and the most important is protection of the environment. In an field study at the Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute, Jhansi (UP), four important tree plant saplings namely Siris (Albizia lebbeck), Neem (Azadirachta indica), Sisham (Dalbergia sissoo) and Babul (Acacia nilotica) were planted during the monsoon season of 1998 in a spacing of 6m x 12m and their inter spaces were exploited with planting no crop, barley and chickpea from rabi season 1999-2000 onwards. In addition barley and chickpea were cultivated without the tree component. In all there were 14 treatments laid out in a replicated randomized block design under rain-fed conditions. During the kharif season as a succeeding crop, cowpea was taken as a common treatment. Crops were cultivated as per the recommended package of practices. Results for the 4th year are reported with chickpea crop in Table 1. Table 1: Growth and pruning yield data of the trees and chickpea production
*Tree pruning at their 50% height was done on June and October 2003 for biomass yield (kg/ha)
**Relative yield is 100,less than 100 or more than 100 means no yield advantage, loss in production and gain in production in association with the tree component, respectively.The over all results (Table 1) indicated that among the 4 trees, neem growth was slowest and third best for biomass production, but most interesting was the highest grain yield of chickpea recorded from the inter spaces of neem (38.9 % increase in grain yield in association with the tree component as compared to pure planting of chickpea only). Neem tree has the greatest potential under rain fed condition in the agroforestry system.
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