Suitability of exotic Acacia as fodder species on highly saline silty black soil of wild ass sanctuary (WAS) of little rann of Kutch, Gujarat
Keywords:
Acacia ampliceps, A. bivenosa, survival, growth, biomass, wheat and barley husk, FYMAbstract
Acacia ampliceps (salt wattle) is a very fast growing shrub/ small tree from northwestern Australia that has considerable promise for fodder plantings on alkaline/ saline soils, especially where its roots have access to a shallow brackish water table. A. bivenosa (two nerved wattle) makes a complex with A. ampliceps .Research trials were laid on black silty clay (medium), soil depth: 40-75 cm at Kordha, Sami Range in Patan, Gujarat at the fringe of Wild Ass Sanctuary in July 2007 to find out suitable exotic fodder plant species with appropriate planting practice. Trials were laid with control (T1), wheat husk (1/2 kg) (T2), FYM (5kg) (T3), wheat husk + FYM (T4), barley husk (250g) (T5) and FYM + barley husk (T6) treatments. Randomised block design with three replications was applied. Spacing was 4 m X 4 m for A. bivenosa (12 plants/ treatment and 3m x 3m for A. ampliceps (16 plants/ treatment). Plantation suffered badly due to heat shock during summer in 2009. The initial mean survival of A. ampliceps was 72.6 % and growth was 161.3 cm (height) and 169.5 cm (crown diameter) at 18 months. Plants maintained which were shrubby in nature and the survived plants were estimated for total biomass production ranging from 13kg in T3 and T5 treatments with 5.6 and 6.7 kg leaf mass respectively. Performance of A. bivenosa was better than A. ampliceps. It maintained 86.9% mean survival at 18 months and 40.5% at 48 months ranging from 66.1% in T2 and 22.2% in control. Treatments influenced the biomass yield and all the treatments recorded higher biomass as compared to control (3.43 kg) at 36 months of age in case of A. bivenosa. Maximum (12.68 kg tree-1) biomass yield was obtained in T3 (wheat straw) treatment followed by in treatment T2 (10.22 kg tree-1). Both the species flowered and produced viable seed. Natural germination of
A. ampliceps was observed. They did not suppress the native vegetation, thus have potential to be introduced as fodder species.
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