Performance of 25 Central American dry zone hardwoods in a pantropical series of species elimination trials
Abstract
An international collaborative trial is described, which was initiated in 1984 to test 27 non-industrial species from the dry zone of Central America on a wide range of sites throughout the semiarid and subhumid tropics. Species performance was evaluated in terms of wood biomass production, using a standardized assessment methodology which was developed using data from biomass studies at 13 sites. The highest wood biomass producers across all sites were, in order, Leucaena leucocephala, L. collinsii subsp. zacapana, Acacia pennatula, Gliricidia sepium, Senna atomaria and Albizia guachapele. Leucaena leucocephala was also found to be the most responsive of all the species to improvement in site quality. There was, however, strong species × site interaction, with the Leucaenas generally only performing best on the more productive sites.
Citation
Stewart, J.L.; Dunsdon, A.J. Performance of 25 Central American dry zone hardwoods in a pantropical series of species elimination trials. Forest Ecology and Management (1994) 65 (2-3) 183-193. [DOI: 10.1016/0378-1127(94)90169-4]