CoconutSummitPaper1May07.doc - Citation Kumar B.M 2007...

Citation: Kumar, B.M. 2007. Coconut-based agroforestry for productive and protective
benefits. In: Coconut for Rural Welfare. Proc. International Coconut Summit 2007, Kochi,
India. Thampan, P.K. and Vasu, K.I. (eds). Asian and Pacific Coconut Community, Jakarta,
Indonesia, pp 87–98.
Coconut-based agroforestry for productive and protective
benefits
B. M. Kumar
College of Forestry, Kerala Agricultural University, KAU PO, Thrissur 680 656, India Phone:
[phone]; Fax: [phone]; email < [email protected] >.
Abstract.
Coconut-based smallholder production systems in the tropics aim at improved resource
capture through integrating several trees and field crops. Although such polycultural systems
generally promote productivity and profitability, interactions between the component crops
are variable and may change over time. Growth habit, crown characteristics, planting
pattern/geometry, and stocking levels of the woody perennial components, besides age of the
palms, shade tolerance of the field crops and interplanted trees are major determinants of
system productivity. This also calls for proper selection of the components and their
manipulation to optimize productivity. However, long-term experimental studies on
interplanting of dicot trees in the interspaces of coconut palms are limited. A compilation of
the available reports, nevertheless, suggests that intercropping dicot trees do not exert strong
negative effects on the yield of coconut palms until they overtop the palms. Improvements in
soil organic matter status and water holding capacity and consequential yield increases also
have been demonstrated in certain cases, besides lower pest and disease incidence.
Introduction
Agroforestry is a dynamic, ecologically based, natural resources management system that
integrates trees on farms and in the agricultural landscape, diversifies and sustains production
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for increased social, economic, and environmental benefits for land users at all levels (WAC
2006). Coconut ( Cocos nucifera L, Family- Palmae), an important plantation crop in the
Asia-Pacific region, is amenable to a broad spectrum of such practices. The wide spacing
(7.6 m triangular pattern or 7.6 to 9 m square planting), intended to meet the resource
requirements of trees at maturity, and the sub-optimal utilization of site resources by palms at
maturity (Anilkumar and Wahid, 1988; Kumar et al., 2005) make this crop particularly
suitable for polycultural systems. Coincidentally, many annual, seasonal, and perennial crops
abound in the coconut-based smallholder farming systems of South and Southeast Asia, and
the Pacific islands (Nelliat et al., 1974; Nair, 1979; 1983; 1989; Reddy and Biddappa, 2000).
In particular, staple food crops including root and tuber crops [e.g., yam ( Dioscorea spp.),
taro ( Colocasia esculenta ), cassava ( Manihot esculenta )], banana ( Musa spp.), island cabbage
( Abelmoschus spp.), and numerous tree species ( Theobroma cacao , Myristica fragrans,
Syzygium aromaticum , Artocarpus altilis , Barringtonia edulis , etc.) are frequently
interplanted or under-planted in the coconut gardens (Nair, 1979; Liyanage et al., 1985;
Ahmed et al., 2004; Ginoga et al., 2004; Lamanda et al., 2006).