Forage legumes as living mulches for trees in agroforestry practices: preliminary results

摘要: Successful establishment and growth of tree seedlings in an agroforestry practice is dependent on the control competing herbaceous vegetation. Conventional weed methods (i.e., chemical, mechanical, physical suppression) are effective but can be costly terms time, damage to non-target vegetation, or increased soil erosion. Alternatively, some living mulches exclude undesirable protect soil, compete minimally with associated trees, supplement nitrogen. In this study, small large white clover (Trifolium repens L.), red (T. pratense kura ambiguum Bieb.), strawberry fragiferum birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus hairy vetch ’AU Early‘ (Vicia villosa Roth) were selected for evaluation as mulches. These species established 9 m ×9 replicated plots along two controls [tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) bare kept vegetation free using glyphosate]. The represent ’high competition‘ ’no competition‘, respectively. Eastern black walnut (Juglans nigra honeylocust (Gleditsia triacanthos hybrid pitch × loblolly pine (Pinus rigida L. P. taeda L.) planted association each mulch. Tree seedling heights diameters measured during first years forage performance evaluated. All grew better absence competition. Tall greatly reduced hardwood seedlings. Red ladino showed greatest promise use seedlings,