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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Ames, Iowa » National Laboratory for Agriculture and The Environment » Soil, Water & Air Resources Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #345811
Title: Long-term above-ground biomass production in a red oak-pecan agroforestry system

Author
item DOLD, CHRISTIAN - Orise Fellow
item THOMAS, ANDREW - University Of Missouri
item Sauer, Thomas
item Ashworth, Amanda
item PHILIPP, DIRK - University Of Arkansas

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/29/2017
Publication Date: 6/29/2017
Citation: Dold, C., Thomas, A., Sauer, T.J., Ashworth, A.J., Philipp, D. 2017. Long-term above-ground biomass production in a red oak-pecan agroforestry system. In: Proceedings of 15th Annual North American Agroforestry Conference June 27-29, 2017, Blacksburg, VA.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Agroforestry systems have widely been recognized for their potential to foster long-term carbon sequestration in woody perennials. This study aims to determine the above-ground biomass in a 16-year-old red oak (Quercus rubra) - pecan (Carya illinoinensis) silvopastoral planting (141 and 53 trees ha-1, respectively) in Fayetteville, AR, from 2007 through 2016. Diameter at breast height (DBH) from all trees was annually measured since 2007. Six oak and seven pecan trees were felled in 2016, and trunks, branches, leaves and nuts were weighed fresh (FW). Total tree dry weights (DW) were estimated with FW-DW ratios, and total leaf area (LA) was estimated with a FW-LA ratio, which was obtained from leaf samples with known LA. Linear and exponential allometric relationships between DBH, DW and LA explained 83% - 98% of data variation. The derived equations and DBH measurements were used to calculate total oak-pecan planting DW and leaf area index (LAI) over time. Oak DW and LAI (2011 – 2016) increased linearly from 9.1 to 30.4 Mg ha-1, and 0.8 to 2.4 m2 m-2 with growth rates of 4.43 Mg ha-1 yr-1 and 0.34 m2 m-2 yr-1, respectively. Pecan DW and LAI (2007 – 2015) increased linearly from 4.8 to 7.1 Mg ha-1, and 0.7 to 1.2 m2 m-2 with growth rates of 0.23 Mg ha-1 yr-1 and 0.05 m2 m-2 yr-1, respectively. Assuming an above-ground C content of 50%, 15.1 and 3.4 Mg ha-1 of C have potentially been sequestered by these oak and pecan trees during the 6-year and 9-year period.