World Agroforestry Centre | agroforestree database 4.0

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This database provides detailed information on a total of 670 agroforestry tree species. It is intended to help field workers and researchers in selecting appropriate species for agroforestry systems and technologies.

For each species, the database includes information on identity, ecology and distribution, propagation and management, functional uses, pests and diseases and a bibliography.

This project has been funded by the British Department for International Development (DFID, the European Union and the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF).

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Acacia crassicarpa	Under favourable conditions seedlings grow rapidly reaching 25-30 cm in 3-4 months. A. crassicarpa is one of the fastest growing tropical Acacia species. It appears to maintain active shoot growth almost the year round, although a few months of stagnation may occur in the dry season. On sites dominated by Imperata cylindrica or other weedy plants, weed control is necessary in the first 1-2 years to ensure establishment. Coppicing ability varies with cutting height and provenance, but is not a suitable method of regeneration, since trees do not coppice well. In open situations, the crown is strongly branched and casts a moderate shade. Preliminary observations indicate that A. crassicarpa is resistant to low intensity fires. An aboveground dry biomass of 207 t/ha can be obtained in 3 years with mean annual rainfall of 1 500 mm, and 40 t/ha in 3 years on poorer sites. Spacing of 3 x 3 m (1 100 trees/ha) to 4 x 4 m (625 trees/ha) is suitable for land reclamation, fuelwood and pulpwood plantations.
Annona squamosa	Trees are planted 5-6 m apart or 10-12 m when grown with mango trees. This slow-growing tree must be protected from browsing animals. If well looked after, it will start producing fruit after about 2 years. Regular watering and weeding are required for good fruit production. Soil needs to be fertilized generously for better fruit yield. Commercial fertilizer containing 3% nitrogen, 10% phosphoric acid and 10% potash is recommended. A mature tree, 5 m high, produces several dozen fruits in a season. Biological control and chemicals including malathion and dimethoate acephate are used to control pests. Trees are sprayed with bordeaux, fermate, phygon, and zerlate to control anthracnose disease.
Artocarpus altilis	Plants should be set out at the onset of the rainy season, and supplementary irrigation may be required to help the trees establish. Once established, they require little attention or input of labour or materials. Trees generally do not require any training or pruning except to remove dead branches and to trim them to a height convenient for cultivation. They are known to grow and fruit well without irrigation, even in areas with a distinct dry season. Regardless of the method used for propagation, young plants do best under shade, but trees require full sun once established. An orchard would require thorough land preparation consisting of deep ploughing followed by harrowing. Approximately 100 trees/ha can be planted if spaced 12 x 8 m or 10 x 10 m apart.
Azadirachta indica	Weeding of A. indica plantations in dry areas is essential, as the tree cannot withstand competition, especially from grasses. It responds well to chemical and organic fertilizers. Trees coppice freely, and early growth from coppice is faster than growth from seedlings. A. indica withstands pollarding well, but seed production is adversely affected when trees are lopped for fodder.
Barringtonia procera	Cutnut is naturally self-pruning of lower branches up to about one-fifth of the height of the tree. Trees coppice and pollarded trees re-sprout well. In a small-scale plantation, seedlings should be planted at 5 x 5 m spacing, or 400 trees/ha. In agroforestry systems mixed with other species, 40 trees/ha are optimal. For silvopasture, a low planting density of 10-15 trees/ha is recommended to avoid shading of the pasture grass. Seedlings may be planted on cleared land or as line-plantings in secondary forests, in which selective thinning of the forest allows more light to reach the seedlings. Weeding is crucial for the first 2-3 years of growth in the field. As the trees mature, weeding operations should be scaled down to cleaning once a year (largely by removing vines from the trees). Trees that are too tall should be pollarded to reduce height and ensure safety around villages. Note: There is no record of cutnut becoming invasive, and in situ observation on the distribution of wildings appears to rule out any potential invasiveness.
Canarium indicum	C. indicum trees are planted at a spacing of about 9 m in the Solomon Islands. In these plantations trials, the growth rates averaged 2.8 m/year in height and 3 cm/year in diameter. A total of two seedlings should be set in a hole, and all male trees should be cut down as soon as their sex can be determined, leaving only one male tree for every 20-25 female trees. Little is known about the cultural requirements of the tree. Marcots usually form lateral branches early and do not require training. Seedling, grafted and budded trees initially tend to grow upright and need to be trained at an early age to induce the formation of lateral branches. This is done by pinching off the terminal bud when the tree is about 0.5-1 m tall. This should be done repeatedly on all the subsequent shoots, until the youngest set of shoots becomes reproductive, a process that may take 5-6 years. Once the tree starts fruiting, very little pruning is necessary. Mature trees yield at least 100 kg/year of fruits when open grown and under plantation conditions they can be expected to yield 7700 kg/ha of fruits annually (the kernels account for about 15% of the total weight)
Coffea arabica	The seedlings are planted on contoured fields 2-3 m apart in 3-5 m rows. Weed control is necessary throughout the entire season. Mulches and green manure are commonly used with chemical fertilizers. Typical application consists of 175 g N, 100 g P and 175 g K per bush, the latter 2 added in 2 applications and N over a longer period (4-5 applications). Other elements are added as needed. Shading improves leaf and shoot growth but reduces root growth; however, it may be useful when the plants are young. Done at a later stage, it may reduce yields, especially when the trees are fertilized. Pruning has become an important maintenance operation. High productivity is directly dependent on good pruning practices.
Erythrina berteroana	Regular pruning is the key to successful management whether for fodder production, mulch or new stakes. Pruning frequency depends on the end use, for the most edible biomass, pruning is best every 6 months, and 1 year for woody biomass.
Mangifera odorata	Plantation: Planting distance is 12-14 m. It is mainly grown mixed with other tree species in homegardens and village orchards. It is a dominant fruit tree in some villages specialized in kuwini production near Solok, West Sumatra, where vegetables or bananas are grown under the relatively light foliage of old trees.
Manilkara zapota	Trees are spaced 7-12 m apart, depending on the growth habit of the cultivar. They require irrigation during the dry season for the 1st 3-4 years, after which they are able to withstand drought. If necessary, young plants should be staked. Response to fertilizer is good, and 3-4 small applications a year of a nitrogen-containing fertilizer are beneficial. Pruning to shape the young trees is practised for the 1st 5 or 6 years. Planting a strong windbreak is also advised to protect against prevailing winds.
Nephelium lappaceum	Trees should be planted at distances of 10-13 m, with sufficient wind protection. Rambutan trees exhibit strong apical dominance and have a tendency to produce long, upright growth. Early pruning and training to form an open centre tree is recommended. After harvesting, fruited twigs are pruned back to stimulate new growth of up to 4 new side shoots, of which 22% of the shoots will bear fruit in the following season. Dead branches and water suckers should be removed regularly. Mulching is essential during establishment and dry periods but should not be applied prior to flowering. For growing trees, a fertilizer rate of 200 g nitrogen, 25 g of phosphate and 100 g potassium per tree per year of age is recommended. For the first 4 years, the fertilizers should be applied in 4 equal dressings, every 3 months. For fruiting trees, 200 g N, 25 g P and 130 g K per tree per year of age is recommended. Maximum fertilizer rate is reached at 12 years, and should remain constant thereafter. For fruiting trees, a quarter of the yearly fertilizer should be applied 4 weeks after fruit set; half the amount should be applied immediately after harvest, and the remaining quarter at 9 weeks after harvesting. Additionally, 0.4 kg of dolomite/tree/year of age, maximum at 10 years and constant after, is applied during slow growing months. At any stage, glyphosate herbicide should not be used near the drip line of rambutan, it could cause a severe yellowing and abscission of the lower leaves. Economic life of a tree is about 15-20 years and may be up to 30 years. Depending on the location, rambutan can produce up to 2 crops a year.
Piliostigma malabaricum	The seedlings are fast growing, average height and diameter at 33 cm and 0.5 cm after 1 month and 76 cm and 1.1 cm after 4 months have been recorded.
Sandoricum koetjape	Seedling growth is fast.
Tamarindus indica	Growth is generally slow; seedling height increasing by about 60 cm annually. The juvenile phase lasts up to 4-5 years, or longer. Young trees are pruned to allow 3-5 well-spaced branches to develop into the main scaffold structure of the tree. After this, only maintenance pruning is required to remove dead or damaged wood. Trees generally require minimal care, but in orchards in Thailand’s central delta, intensive cropping is practised. This is possible because grafted trees come to bear within 3-4 years. Sweet cultivars are planted and good early crops limit extensive growth; presumably the high water table, which prevents deep rooting, also helps to dwarf the trees. Size-control measures include close spacing (about 500 trees/ha) and pruning to rejuvenate the fruiting wood. The trees also respond to coppicing and pollarding. When establishing a pure plantation, spacing should be at least 13 x 13 m. Distance can be reduced with vegetatively propagated plants, as they do not attain the same size as seeded trees. Smaller trees are easier to harvest. The tree may remain productive until it reaches old age, yielding up to 150 kg/tree or over 2 t/ha a year.
Theobroma cacao	Weeding and temporary shade are essential within the 1st 3-4 years of establishment before the canopy closes. Plantain appears to meet most of cocoa’s requirements in this respect, whereas bananas compete heavily for moisture during the dry season. The young trees should be mulched before the onset of the 1st dry season to conserve soil moisture. Light pruning is recommended to remove low-hanging, broken and dead branches, as well as for the regeneration of fallen or damaged trees. Farmers plant cocoa at high densities of 3000-4000 trees/ha because the resulting tall trees develop fewer lateral branches and more vertical suckers. This encourages flowering on the main stem at the expense of branches, particularly suitable for some lower Amazon Forastero varieties.
Triplochiton scleroxylon	Prompt removal of logs from the forest, as well as conversion, is reported to be essential, as the species is susceptible to insect and fungal attack.