Summary
With the greater uniformity in site conditions in cultivated fields and higher levels of inputs (soil amendments and labour) for modern agroforestry systems, selection and breeding for optimal tree adaptation to site conditions and management practices call for strategies radically different from those for plantation forestry. Furthermore, specific requirements for the most efficient growth resource sharing arrangements between the tree and its companion crop call for evaluation both above-ground and below-ground tree growth characteristics in much greater details than has been the case for forestry practice.
Specific adaptations in tree-soil relations are highlighted. Tree ideotype profiles are defined for a valuable fodder species (Calliandra calothyrsus) and a valuable timber species (Grevillea robusta). Results from half-sib progeny testing experiment on C. calothyrsus in alley farming system indicate differential adaptedness to frequent cutting for fodder production among the families after 6 cutting cycles (over a period of 2 years). If this differential response to frequent cutting among genotypes is confirmed, phyllomorphs which are more tolerant to this management practice could be selected for further improvement research.
Excavation of 2 trees per family within G. robusta half-sib progeny testing experiments at two locations in Kenya provided the base for studying (a) variations in root growth patterns and (b) correlations between stem and root growth patterns in the background of efficient soil resource sharing strategies and of potentials for indirect selection for root growth characteristics. Analyses based on 7 categories of root growth and 7 categories of stem growth patterns involving 94 families selected in Australia and 60 families selected from landraces in Kenya indicate (a) insignificant variation among families in root growth patterns and (b) non existent or weak correlations between stem and root growth patterns.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Atkinson, D., 1983. The growth, activity and distribution of the fruit tree root system. Soil management affects the balance of short (lateral) to long (extension) roots of apples — with grass competition, there are more lateral roots. Plant and Soil 71: 2335.
Beer, J., 1987. Experiences with fence line fodder trees in Costa Rica and Nicaragua. p. 215–222. In: J.W. Beer, H.W. Fassbender & J. Heuveldop (Eds). Advances in Agroforestry Research. Proceedings of a Seminar, 1–2 September, 1985. Turrialba, Costa Rica.
Bilan, M.V., 1960. Some aspects of tree root distribution. In: Proc 1st North America Conf on Mycorrhizae. Misc Publ 1189. USDA Forest Service pp. 69–80.
Burdett, A.N., D.G. Simpson & C.F. Thompson, 1983. Root development and plantation establishment success. Plant and Soil 71: 103–110.
Eriksson, G., 1991. Challenges for forest geneticists. Silva Fenn 25: 257–269.
Falconer, D.S., 1989. Introduction to quantitative genetics. 3rd Edition. Longman Scientific & Technical. John Wiley & Sons. 438 pp.
Gregorius, H.-R., 1991. Gene conservation and the preservation of adaptability. p. 31–47. In: A. Seitz & V. Loeschks (Eds). Species Conservation: A population-biological approach. Basel, Birkhauser Verlag.
Hamkoong, G., 1984. A control concept of gene conservation. Silvae Genetica 33: 160–163.
Kohli, R.K. & D. Singh, 1990. Allelopathic potential of Eucalypts in India. In: J. Burley (Ed). Proceedings of the XIX World Congress of IUFRO, Division 2. Montreal, 5–11 August, 1995. The Canadian IUFRO Congress Organizing Committee.
Ledig, F.T. & T.O. Perry, 1965. Physiological genetics of the shoot-root ratio. p. 39–43. In: Proc Soc Amer Foresters, Detroit Michigan.
Muhs, H.-J., 1993. Does the OECD need revision to be better adapted to the trade with tropical and subtropical forest reproductive material? p. 281–293. In: H. Wolf (Ed). Seed Procurement and Legal Regulations for Forest Reproductive Material in Tropical and Subtropical Countries: Proceedings of GTZ, IUFRO, FAO International Symposium.
Muller-Starck, G., 1985. Genetic differences between ‘tolerant’ and ‘sensitive’ beeches (Fagus sulvatica L.) in an environmentally stressed adult forest stand. Silvae Genetica 34: 241–247.
Oldeman, R.A.A., 1992. Architectural models, fractals and agro-forestry design. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 41: 179–188.
Oldeman, R.A.A. & A.H.M. Sieben-Binnekamp, 1994. Timber Trees: architecture and ecology. p. 25–33. In: R.R.B. Leakey & A.C. Newton (Eds). Tropical Trees: The potential for domestication and the rebuilding of forest resources. HMSO, London.
Owino, F., 1992. Improving multipurpose tree and shrub species for agroforestry systems. Agroforestry Systems 19: 131–137.
Palmberg-Lerche, 1993. The conservation of forest genetic resources as an intergral part of forest management and tree improvement. In: H. Wolf (Ed). Seed Procurement and Legal Regulations for Forest Reproductive Material in Tropical and Subtropical Countries. Proc Int Symp, 4–10 October, 1992. Nairobi, Kenya.
Stern, K. & L. Roche, 1974. Genetics of forest ecosystems. Springer-Verlag. 330 pp.
Stonecypher, R.W., F.C. Cech & B.J. Zobel, 1965. Estimates of components of variance and covariance in root and shoot characteristics of loblolly pine after one growing season. 7th South For Tree Improv Conf Proc pp 86–94.
Thoday, J.M., 1953. Components of fitness. Symp Soc Exp Biol Cambr 7:
Van Noordwijk, M., K. Hairish, M.S. Syekhfani & B. Flach, 1991. Peltophoram pterocarpa: a tree with a root distribution suitable for alley cropping. In: H. Person & B. I. McMichael (Eds). Plant Roots and their Environment.
Van Noordwijk, M., L.Y. Spek & P. de Willigen, 1994. Proximal root diameter as predictor of total root size for fractal branching models. I. Theor Plant and Soil 164: 107–117.
Wareing, P.F. & J. Patrick, 1975. Source-sink relations in the partition of assimilates in plants. In: J.P. Cooper (Ed). Photosynthesis and Productivity in Different Environments. Camb Univ Press, London.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1997 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Owino, F. (1997). Selection for adaptation in multipurpose trees and shrubs for production and function in agroforestry systems. In: Tigerstedt, P.M.A. (eds) Adaptation in Plant Breeding. Developments in Plant Breeding, vol 4. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-8806-5_31
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-015-8806-5_31
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-90-481-4708-3
Online ISBN: 978-94-015-8806-5
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive