Agro-techniques for afforestation of degraded coastal agricultural lands with silk cotton (Ceiba pentendra (L.) Gaertn.)

Abstract

Agricultural land and agro-forest ecosystems symbolize the major background of a landscape and its sustainable management will play a key role in habitat conservation. Afforestation of degraded coastal agricultural lands with Ceiba pentandra (L.) Gaertn.) uplifts the income of farmers and enhances the tree cover outside the conventional forests. Accordingly, to test the agro techniques for the better establishment and growth of C. pentandra, a field experiment was conducted in degraded coastal agricultural land. The treatments consisted of land management methods viz., pit method, trench method, mound method and auger hole method of planting in the main plot and in sub plots, combination of ameliorative amendments such as FYM, composted coir pith and pressmud along with gypsum, ZnSO4 and biofertilizers were employed. Based on the results of the present investigation it can be revealed that auger hole method of planting in combination with FYM @ 12.5 t ha-1, gypsum @ 200 kg ha-1, ZnSO4 @ 25 kg ha-1, Azospirillum @ 2 kg ha-1 and phosphobacteria @ 2 kg ha-1 significantly registered the maximum establishment percentage of 83.21 (12 months after planting), plant height of 340.12 cm, girth measurement of 19.52 cm and RGR of 3.29 cm month-1 (36 months after planting).