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Improvement and Culture of Nitrogen Fixing Trees January 2002 Volume 5 No. 1 Working Party 2.08.02 Web page at : http://iufro.boku.ac.at/iufro/iufronet/d2/wu20802/nl20802.htm Message from the Coordinator Thais Grow Native Acacia for Food WP 2.08.02 Suree Bhumibhamon Andaman Institute C/o Kasetsart University (Krabi Campus) Khongsak Pinyopusarerk Phaholyothin Road, Chatuchak CSIRO Forestry and Forest Products Bangkok 10900, Thailand PO Box E4008, Kingston, ACT 2604, Australia Tel: +66 2 942 8690 Tel: + 61 2 6281 8247 Fax: +66 2 942 8179 Fax: + 61 2 6281 8266 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Acacia pennata subsp. insuavis (common name cha-om) is There are 1200 – 1300 species in the genus Acacia one of thirteen Acacia species native to Thailand. This thorny multipurpose shrub or small tree up to 5 m tall grows occurring naturally on all continents except Europe and extensively throughout the country in homestead. However, Antarctica. These nitrogen-fixing trees and shrubs grow small plantations for commercial harvest of edible leaves can over a range of environments from arid to tropical and be also found. temperate, from low altitudes near sea level to high altitudes more than 1000 m, and from highly acidic soils The stem is thorny. Young branches are pubescent, green in to highly alkaline soils. Such diversity offers colour and turn brown with age. A large gland is present on opportunity for selection of species for different planting the main rachis of leaves above the middle of the petiole. objectives. Acacia species have been planted as exotics Leaves are bipinnate, pinnae 8-18 pairs; pinnules in more than 70 countries. More than 5 million ha of linear-oblong, glabrous, base oblique or truncate, up to 50 plantations have been established for a wide range of pairs per pinna, ciliate on the margins loosely set and wood and non-wood products. The total planted area is overlapping. Flowers are in large terminal panicles, heads globose and pale yellow. The pods are thin, flat and long with much more if those billions of scattered trees planted thick sutures. along roadsides, schools, temples and around home gardens are included. Young leaves, though having a very strong smell, are an The role of acacias in rural, industrial and environmental important food source for Thai people. Each 100 g of fresh development has been a focus of many international leaves contains: 57 kilocalories, 5.7 g fibre, 58 mg calcium, 80 mg phosphorus, 4.1 mg iron, 10066 IU vitamin A, 0.05 mg and regional meetings and workshops. During 18-21 vitamin B1, 0.24 mg vitamin B2, 1.5 mg Niazin and 58 mg June 2001, I attended a meeting organised by the vitamin C. Consultative Group for Research and Development of Acacias (COGREDA) in Krabi province, south Thailand (see article on COGREDA in this issue). Many members of this IUFRO NFT working party also attended. This meeting was the fourth of COGREDA and aimed to review the status on research on tree improvement, silviculture and utilisation of key tropical Acacia species for plantation forestry. The Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and the Asia Pacific Association of Forestry Research Institutions (APAFRI) are thanked for meeting the travel cost of many participants. The staff of Kasetsart University (Krabi Campus) did an excellent job in organising the meeting. It is with pleasure to extend a warm welcome to new members of this working party. We look forward to your sharing experience with us. Harvest of leaves of Acacia pennata subsp. insuavis in Thailand Improvement and Culture of Nitrogen Fixing Trees Thai people eat raw or fast-boiled leaves but always with Owing to the population pressure on agricultural land, most of ‘samba’, a spicy sauce which is a mixture of garlic, chili, salt, the forests in southeast Nigeria have gradually disappeared lemon juice, shrimp and shrimp paste. Leaves can be used as a and fallow periods have dropped to as low as one year leading vegetable in several hot spicy foods. More often, the leaves to the spread of farming into marginal lands. In these areas, are cooked in an omelet and eaten with hot ‘samba’. This is crop yield is drastically declining due to total disappearance one of the most common dishes throughout the country. of fallow practice, increased continuous cropping, weed Kaeng Kae, a northern Thai curry, will not be accepted menace, poor soil fertility and the non-use of costly and without the addition of A. pennata leaves. unavailable inorganic fertilisers. Therefore, the use of leguminous plants has been recommended as a more Acacia pennata is also used as a medicine. In India, leaf juice sustainable approach to farming systems (Anegbeh et al. mixed with milk is used for treatment of indigestion in 1999). This warrants nodulation studies to determine suitable infants. It is also used for scalding of urine and for curing agroforestry tree and shrub species for soil fertility bleeding gums. Some people use boiled tender leaves for improvement. cholera treatment, digestive complaints, relief of headache, body pain, snake bites, and even to cure fish poisoning. The Materials and Methods root can be used for inducing flatulency and to cure stomach The study was carried out at the High Rainfall Station of the pain. The bark is used for treatment of bronchitis, asthma and International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) Onne, for stomach complaints. Nigeria (4°51'N latitude, 7°03'E longitude, 30 m altitude). Mean annual rainfall is 2400 mm in a monomodal distribution The smell from young leaves of A. pennata is very strong for falling in one season (March - November). Temperature myna (Gracula religiosa) birds. In Thailand people do not put varies from 27°C in February and March (warmest months) to this acacia near the myna cage, otherwise the birds may die. 25°C in July (coolest month). Relative humidity varies from 78% in February (driest month) to 89% in July (rainy month). Acacia pennata subsp. insuavis is normally propagated by Sunshine varies from 2 hr day-1 (September) to 6 hr day-1 seed although vegetative propagation by cutting or grafting is (February). The field is mainly flat with Ultisol soils derived feasible. Natural regeneration is good. In common practice, from coastal sediments. They are strongly acid seeds are sown in containers and watered once a day. The (pH 4.4), of low fertility and are classified as loamy, siliceous, seedlings are transplanted in the field in the rainy season at isohyperthermic, typic paleudult (coarse-loamy) (Hulugalle 4-5 m spacing. In northern Thailand, seeds are sown in the et al. 1989). These soils are deep, well drained with good rice field in which they will germinate after rice harvest. physical properties but chemically poor. Young shoots (leaves) can be collected twice for food before the plants are ploughed in as green manure. Five leguminous species were used for this study, viz. Enterolobium cyclocarpum (Jacq.) Griseb. Mimosoideae, Indigofera zollingeriana Miq. (syn. I. teysmannia.) Papilionoideae, Inga edulis Mart. Mimosoideae, Millettia laurentii (O) Papilionoideae and Pterocarpus santalinoides Nodulation in Some Agroforestry L' Her. ex DC Papilionoideae. Tree and Shrub Legumes Grown on Sixty containerized seedlings each of the five leguminous tree and shrub species were studied for the ability to nodulate. The Acid Soils in Southeast Nigeria plants with ball of adhering soil were taken at random from 2-year-old containerized seedlings in the nursery to evaluate Paul Anegbeh1 and Zac Tchoundjeu2 the number and dry weight of the nodules distributed 1International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF) throughout the entire root system. On each seedling, the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) adhering soil was carefully removed in running tap water and IITA High Rainfall Station, Onne, Nigeria the roots of the seedlings were floated in water to expose C/o L.W. Lambourn and Co, Carolyn House, them. The presence or absence of nodules on the primary and 26 Dingwall Road secondary fine roots was recorded. The size (diameter) of Croydon, CR9 3EE, United Kingdom mature nodules was measured. Special care was taken to Tel: +234 2 241 2626 ext. 2386, 2399 Fax: +234 2 241 2221 distinguish root nodules from root malformation, such as Email: [email protected] those caused by nematodes, insects or other root inhabiting pathogenic micro-organisms, by dissecting the nodules to 2International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF) establish whether they were red, pink, brown, dark or green in ICRAF Cameroon colour. Collapsed, brown or black nodules were regarded as BP 2067 Yaounde, Cameroon dead (Fownes and Anderson 1991). Tel: +237 237 560 Fax: +237 237 440 The following data were recorded on all species: number of Email: [email protected] nodules per plant (sparse or prolific); fresh and dry weights of the nodules per plant using weighing scale and paper bags; Introduction nodule size - since some of the nodules were elliptical, the Crop production in southeast Nigeria is based on slash-and- longest axis (N1) and short axis (N2) were measured with a burn and related bush fallow systems. Soil fertility is restored venier calliper and the average diameter calculated; colour of by allowing the nutrient-depleted land to rest and revert to a nodules (observed by cutting the nodule transversely); and fallow phase. In areas where land is abundant and population nodule activity (active or dead - checked by dissection of is sparse, a fallow period of 10 years or more is enough to nodule with razor blade and recorded whether their internal ensure sustainability of agricultural production.