Agroforestry Services: Alley crop  Agroforestry Services: Contour hedgerow  Agroforestry Services: Crop shade  Agroforestry Services: Nitrogen  Agroforestry Services: Windbreak  Fodder: Bank  Fodder: Insect  Industrial Crop: Biomass  Management: Coppice  Minor Global Crop

A plant of moderate elevations in the humid and subhumid tropics[ 303 ]. It can succeed at elevations up to 1,800 metres, but does best at 250 - 800 metres[ 303 ]. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 22 - 30°c, but can tolerate 18 - 34°c[ 418 ]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 2,000 - 4,000mm, but tolerates 700 - 5,000mm[ 418 ]. It can tolerate a 3 - 6 month dry period[ 303 ]. Prefers a position in full sun[ 418 ]. Grows well on a wide range of soil types but prefers light textured, slightly acidic soils[ 303 ]. It can tolerate infertile and compacted or poorly aerated soils but does not tolerate waterlogged and alkaline soils[ 303 ]. Plants will die of oxygen starvation within two weeks if the soil is waterlogged[ 303 ]. Prefers a pH in the range 5 - 6, tolerating 4.5 - 7.5[ 418 ]. The tree is drought hardy, it fixes nitrogen and regenerates rapidly. It is so hardy and reproduces so easily that it may become a weed of sorts and may be difficult to keep in check[ 418 ]. Seedlings grow very quickly, they can be 2.5 - 3.5 metres tall within 6 months and 3 - 5 metres within the first year[ 418 ]. Flowering may start in the first year, but good fruit set does not start until the second[ 303 ]. Fruits ripen 3 months after anthesis[ 303 ]. The plants will often flower all year round[ 320 ]. When grown for fuel, wood yields have been reported in the order of 15 - 40 tonnes per hectare just one year after planting, with annual coppice harvests continuing for 10 - 20 years[ 303 , 418 ]. Annual wood production potential is 5 - 65 m3/ha[ 418 ]. The rootstock is very vigorous and will resprout readily when coppiced[ 303 ]. Yields are extremely good - just 6 months after being cut at 50cm from the ground new growth 3 metre high has been formed[ 303 ]. Returns from charcoal production are higher than fuel wood because the wood is a quick burner[ 303 ]. The plant can produce 14 tonnes per hectare of charcoal annually[ 303 ]. This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[ 200 ].

Carbon Farming

• Agroforestry Services: Alley crop  Integrates annual crops with rows of perennials.
• Agroforestry Services: Contour hedgerow  Alley cropping systems on the contour of slopes.
• Agroforestry Services: Crop shade  Plants providing crop shade especially trees.
• Agroforestry Services: Nitrogen  Plants that contribute to nitrogen fixation include the legume family – Fabaceae.
• Agroforestry Services: Windbreak  Linear plantings of trees and shrubs designed to enhance crop production, protect people and livestock and benefit soil and water conservation.
• Fodder: Bank  Fodder banks are plantings of high-quality fodder species. Their goal is to maintain healthy productive animals. They can be utilized all year, but are designed to bridge the forage scarcity of annual dry seasons. Fodder bank plants are usually trees or shrubs, and often legumes. The relatively deep roots of these woody perennials allow them to reach soil nutrients and moisture not available to grasses and herbaceous plants.
• Fodder: Insect  Plants grown for useful fodder insects.
• Industrial Crop: Biomass  Three broad categories: bamboos, resprouting woody plants, and giant grasses. uses include: protein, materials (paper, building materials, fibers, biochar etc.), chemicals (biobased chemicals), energy - biofuels
• Management: Coppice  Cut to the ground repeatedly - resprouting vigorously. Non-destructive management systems maintaining the soil organic carbon.
• Minor Global Crop  These crops are already grown or traded around the world, but on a smaller scale than the global perennial staple and industrial crops, The annual value of a minor global crop is under $1 billion US. Examples include shea, carob, Brazil nuts and fibers such as ramie and sisal.