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What is pollarding? #Pollarding is a pruning system involving the removal of the upper branches of a tree, which promotes the growth of a dense head of foliage and branches and reduces shading.
Pollarding is especially useful for managing trees as part of an agricultural landscape, where harm to crops should be minimised while optimising benefits. The practice of pollarding alders (Alnus nepalensis) has been developed and perfected by various indigenous peoples in Northeast India, Northern Myanmar, and Southwest China, and is an important innovation in the shifting cultivation farming system. It is demonstrated at our Centre in #Godavari to show that indigenous practices in shifting cultivation can provide new options to improve agricultural systems across the Himalaya. Himalayan alders are found across the region at elevations between 900 masl and 2700 masl from Pakistan and Northwest India, to Bhutan, Northeast India, northern Myanmar, southern China, and into Indo-China. This pioneer species grows naturally or can be planted, even on highly degraded, unstable soils like landslide areas. It provides poles, firewood, and numerous secondary products such as wood for furniture and leaf-litter for composting. It is a non-leguminous species that fixes nitrogen in symbiosis with Frankia, and this makes it ideal for enhancing soil fertility even in very acidic soils. Also, its extensive lateral root system helps prevent soil erosion.
One of the bases for establishing sustainable farming systems is to integrate nitrogen-fixing plants into the system, whether in the ...
Drip irrigation is a method that aims to provide only as much water to plants as they need, and only ...
Developing realistic opportunities for income generation is one of the most challenging tasks of development in mountain areas ...
Have you ever tried Yacon (ground apple)? We've been growing #Yacon at our Knowledge #Park in #Godavari since ...
An inventory of carbon monitoring plots was conducted in May 2012 to establish a mechanism for long-term monitoring of forest ...
Farmers benefit greatly from honeybees. They produce honey and other bee products which can be sold, consumed, or used as ...
Hydropower is one of the most promising potential sources of energy in the HKH region. The possibilities range from large-scale ...
Multipurpose trees Multipurpose trees play an important role in mountain farming. Products from a tree can include leaves, fruits, ...