Observations on rooting patterns of Colophospermum mopane in agroforestry systems of hot arid Rajasthan

Abstract

Root architecture of 12-years old Mopane (Colophospermum mopane) along a soil depth gradient of up to 2.5 m was studied with a focus to record the belowground development and biomass production. In the study, the rooting pattern of C. mopane indicated that > 70% roots were confined to upper 60 cm soil layer. The root spread was 2.48 fold higher than the crown spread. The angles of primary roots were more than 66o . The total root biomass varied from 5.13 kg to 13.80 kg and average root: shoot ratio was 0.20. The inferences of the results have been discussed in the context of the ecological niche of the species, and its usefulness in agroforestry systems.