🌲 Agroforestry Systems

This lesson introduces core social and farm forestry concepts and their practical relevance for sustainable land use and farm livelihoods.

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Agroforestry Systems

Lec.10 Agroforestry Systems for seven agroclimatic zones of Tamil Nadu

I. Suitable agroforestry practices for northeastern zone of Tamil Nadu

1. Districts : Chennai, Kanchipuram, Thiruvallur, Cudallore, Vellore, Thiruvannamalai, Vilupuram

2. Annual Rainfal : 1054 mm

3. Soil Types : Red loam, red sandy loam, black clayey and black clay loam to limited extent, saline alluvial in sea coast

4. Major Crops : Groundnut, sesame, rice, bajra, ragi and sugarcane

5. Dominant tree species : Casuarina equisetifolia, Thespesia populnea, Pongamia pinnata, Lannea coromondalica, Anacardium occidentale

a) Monoculture of Casuarina equisetifolia b) Intercropping of groundnut, sesame and

pulses with C. equisetifolia c) Band planting of Thespesia populnea and

Lannea coromandalica d) Monoculture of Acacia auriculiformis e) Intercropping groundnut, pulses and minor

millets with Anacardium occidentale

Major agroforestry

practices

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II. Suitable agroforestry practices for northwestern zone of Tamil Nadu

1. Districts : Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri, Salem and Namakkal

2. Annual Rainfal : 825 mm in 47 rainy days

3. Soil Types : Red to brown, loamy soils

4. Major Crops : Groundnut, tapioca, sugarcane and vegetables, ragi, sesame, horsegram and castor

5. Dominant tree species : Delonix elata, Pongamia pinnata, Ailanthus excelsa, Albizia amara and Tamarindus indica

a) Bund planting of Pongamia pinnata (Dharmapuri), Delonix elata and Albizia amara (Salem) b) Intercropping tapioca with Eucalyptus tereticornis c) Monoculture of E. tereticornis

Major agroforestry

practices

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II I. Suitable agroforestry practices for cauvery delta zone of Tamil Nadu

1. Districts : Tiruchirapalli (part of district), Perambalur (part of district), Pudukottai (part of district), Thanjavur, Nagapattinam and Thiruvarur

2. Annual Rainfal : 900 – 1000 mm

3. Soil Types : Alluvial in the old delta and red loam with pockets of laterite in the new delta

4. Major Crops : Paddy, sugarcane, banana, pulses

5. Dominant tree species : Thespesia populnea, Bamboo, Acacia nilotica, Prosopis juliflora, Ailanthus excelsa, Casuarina equisetifolia, Eucalyptus tereticornis

a) Bund planting of Acacia nilotica and

Bambusa bambos (Thanjavur) b) Intercropping groundnut and coriander with

B. bambos c) Boundary planting of Tectona grandis and

Dalbergia sissoo along water courses and canals d) Live fence of Lannea coromandalica

(Nagapattinam) e) Woodlots of Terminalia arjuna

Major agroforestry

practices

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IV. Suitable agroforestry practices for western zone of Tamil Nadu

1. Districts : Erode, Coimbatore, Karur, Dindigul and Theni

2. Annual Rainfal : 638 mm in 45 rainy days

3. Soil Types : Thin red with a block of black soil

4. Major Crops : Rice, sugarcane, cotton, sorghum, ragi, turmeric, banana, groundnut, Bengal gram, tobacco

5. Dominant tree species : Hardwickia binata, Holoptelia integrifolia, Ailanthus excelsa, Acacia leucophloea, Acacia ferruginea, Santalum album

a) Bund planting of Albizia lebbeck, Ailanthus

excelsa, Hardwickia binata b) Intercropping tapioca, groundnut, sesame

with E. tereticornis c) Woodlots of Ceiba pentandra d) Silvipasture consists of Acacia leucophloea

with fodder sorghum, Cenchrus spp. e) Fuel plantation of Prosopis juliflora

Major agroforestry

practices

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V. Suitable agroforestry practices for southern zone of Tamil Nadu

1. Districts : Ramanathapuram, Tirunelveli, Madurai, Pudukottai ( part), Sivagangai, Virudhunagar and Thoothukudi

2. Annual Rainfal : 776 mm in 43 rainy days

3. Soil Types : Black clayey (mid zone), saline coastal alluvium or river alluvium (eastern region), red sandy soil (north eastern side), deep red soil (western region)

4. Major Crops : Bajra, cotton, jowar, fodder jowar, minor millets, groundnut, senna, chilli and vegetables

5. Dominant tree species : Acacia planifrons, Ceiba pentandra, Bassia latifolia, Prosopis juliflora, Tamarindus indica, Eucalyptus tereticornis, Azadirachta indica

a) Woodlots of tamarind and neem b) Silvipasture consists of Leucaena leucocephala c) Intercropping cereals or pulses with kapok d) Monoculture of Eucalyptus tereticornis,

Acacia nilotica, A. leucophloea and Prosopis juliflora

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practices

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VI. Suitable agroforestry practices for high rainfall zone of Tamil Nadu

1. Districts : Kanyakumari

2. Annual Rainfal : 1500 mm in 64 rainy days

3. Soil Types : Deep loam, saline coastal alluvium (south eastern belt)

4. Major Crops : Rice, tapioca, coconut, peper, clove, nutmag, cardamom and coffee

5. Dominant tree species : Rubber, tamarind, Calophyllum inophyllum and Albizia falcataria

a) Home garden b) Intercropping food crops, spices and pastures with coconut c) Bund planting of Albizia falcataria d) Intercropping food crops with Calophyllum

inophyllum, Bassia latifolia and Pongamia pinnata

Major agroforestry

practices

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VII. Suitable agroforestry practices for hilly zone of Tamil Nadu

1. Districts : Nilgiris, Shevroys, Elagiri javadhu, Kolli, Anamalai, Palni and Podhigai Hill ranges

2. Annual Rainfal : 1000 mm to 5000 mm

3. Soil Types : Laterite

4. Major Crops : Tea, coffee, cabbage, cauliflower

5. Dominant tree species : Grevillea robusta, Eucalyptus globulus , temperate Acacias, Terminalias

a) Intercropping potato, beans with Eucalyptus

globulus b) Grevillea robusta and Erythrina indica as

shade trees in tea and coffee gardens

Major agroforestry

practices

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Summary Cheat Sheet

Topic	Key takeaway
Main focus	Agroforestry Systems.
Section context	Revise this lesson with the rest of Social and Farm Forestry for stronger conceptual continuity.