Abstract:
Drawing upon a wealth of research information available for the Pothwar area, the potential and limitations of Agroforestry for improving animal production and soil fertility are discussed. agroforestry is reputed to incorporate essential components of sustainability and self-sufficiency into some agricultural systems. Evidence is given that agroforestry, by providing shade is pastoral systems, thereby reduces heat stress in livestock and increases animal performance an overall productivity. A wide range of agroforestry trees provide forage with high crude protein and low fibre contents, making them a source of home-grown and cheaply available supplement for poor quality roughage feedstuffs such as cereal crop residues. Evidence is presented that browsing on such trees improves feed intake, animal performance and overall utilization efficiency of poor quality roughage. Due to the inherent low soil fertility of major areas of the Pothwar and to the rapidly increasing population pressures, systems of agricultural production that combine the use of leguminous shrubs and trees to recycle nutrients of importance are discussed. Evidence is given that several agroforestry technologies, can improve fertility and sustain crop yield.
Page(s):
73-81
DOI:
DOI not available
Published:
Journal: Pakistan Journal of Forestry, Volume: 44, Issue: 2, Year: 1994