Abstract

Farmers of north and north-west agroclimatic zone of Gujarat need tree resources for the supply of fodder, fuel, timber and cash. Khejri (Prosopis cineraria) is one such species, which besides fulfilling above needs improves soil fertility by fixing nitrogen and adding organic matter. In studies conducted at Sardar Krushinagar (Banaskantha), Gujarat, khejri trees planted at 3 m x 3 m spacing in 1984 were lopped first time in May 1995 and later on in May 1996 for raising intercrops, viz., cowpea, clusterbean and greengram during kharif seasons of 1995-96 and 1996-97. The crops were also raised as sole to make the comparisons. At the time of initiation of the experiment, i.e., in July 1995, khejri trees had a height and DBH of 528 cm and 14.8 cm, respectively. The leaf fodder and fuel-wood obtained from lopping up to 50% height in the second year was 6.6 kg and 14.0 kg respectively. During both the years, in general, the yields were higher from all the crops in agri-silvi system than the sole cultivation. The monetary return pooled over years also indicated higher return from khejri based agri-silvi system of agroforestry as compared to sole cropping.

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