Agroforestry system combining P. juliflora and buffel grass in the brazilian semi-arid region: preliminary results.

• Autor(a) principal: RIBASKI, J.
• Data de Publicação: 1988
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Institucional da EMBRAPA (Repository Open Access to Scientific Information from EMBRAPA - Alice)
• Texto Completo: http://www.alice.cnptia.embrapa.br/alice/handle/doc/133040
• topic: Cenchurs ciliaris; Regiao semi-arida; Semi-arid region; Forest; Floresta; Algaroba; Agrossilvicultura; Capim Buffel; Prosopis Juliflora; agroforestry

The exploitation of the plant resources in the Brazilian semi-arid region boils down to extracting timber for farming use and for commercial purposes, as well as to using native fodder species for feeding livestock. This exploitation is perfomed without any management criteria, thus briging about degradation of the plant cover. Cattle farming, predominant in the region, shows low productivity as a result mainly of the scant fodder avalilabel during the dry season. During this period, the pastures cultivated with grasses, mainly buffel grass (Cenchrus ciliaris L.) frequently do not offer a protein level sufficient for the animals to maintain or gain weight. Prosopis juliflora (Sw) DC is grown in the region as a fodder tree and for afforestation. The advantages this xerophyte offers for afforestation are its precociousness, drought hardiness, good-quality wooe for a variety of end uses, production of highly palatable and nutritive pods, and bearing of fruit during the dry season. The use of this leguminous tree in afforestation for timber and fodder production purposes throuth silvopastoral systems constitutes an economically and socially important alternative for the region. The purpose of this research was to study the technical viability of a silvopastoral system combining P. juliflora and C. ciliaris cv. Grayndah.