TREE-CROP INTERACTIONS DURING THE EARLY ESTABLISHMENT PERIOD OF MORINGA PLANTATION

Abstract

An experiment was conducted in Agroforestry Field Laboratory at Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Dhaka to find out the effect of planting distances on growth, yield and yield attributing characters of stem amaranth (Amaranthus oleraceus) during the early establishment period of Moringa (Moringa oliaferae) trees. The growth of Moringa as influenced by management practices was also determined. The study was conducted during the period from January to April, 2018 by following Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) comprising of four treatments with four replications. Four treatments were T 0 (open field condition as control), T (6 inches distance from tree base), T 2 (12 inches distance from tree base), T 3 1 (18 inches distance from tree base). Significant variations were observed in respect of all characters at different days after sowing (DAS) with different planting distances. At harvest (50DAS), the maximum plant height of stem amaranth (59 cm), number of leaf per plant (25 cm) was recorded in control condition (T treatment) and minimum plant height (49 cm), number of leaf per plant (20) was recorded in T 0 treatment. The highest leaf length (10 cm) and leaf breadth (5 cm), stem girth (6 cm), stem length (61 cm), root length(16 cm), shoot and root fresh weight (74 g and 16 g), shoot and root dry weight(4 g and root 1 g) and green yield (14 t/ha) were observed in open field condition (T 3 treatment). The yield was reduced by 15% in T 1 0 treatment (12 t/ha) compared to open field condition. The fresh yield of stem amaranth under T 2 (10 t/ha) and T (10 t/ha) treatment with association of Moringa was recorded 26 % lower than the plants which were grown under control condition (T 3 treatment). The growth characters of M. oliaferae were also enhanced in association with stem amaranth. At harvest of stem amaranth, maximum bud length(8cm) and bud number (4) of Moringa sapling were also recorded in T treatment thus showing its potential to be used in Moringa based agroforestry farming system in large-scale.