Abstract

CELAYA MICHEL, Hernán. Five years survival and growth of Parkinsonia microphylla in arid degraded terrain of Sonora, Mexico. Acta Agron. [online]. 2022, vol.71, n.4, pp.410-415.  Epub Apr 13, 2024. ISSN 0120-2812.  https://doi.org/10.15446/acag.v71n4.102990.

The Sonoran Desert has areas with land degradation of slow recovery. Recovering degraded land is key to obtaining ecosystem services. In this study the native Parkinsonia microphylla trees were evaluated for five years after their transplantation to degraded arid land, with protection against herbivory, under irrigation during the first year, and in a microclimate with branch pruning for the following four years. Irrigation was weekly or fortnightly during the first 200 days, prior to the rains. The protection was made with a plastic container, in addition to placing dry tree sticks from the site buried vertically around the plant. The microclimate was provided through scattered pruned branches on the ground in an area of 1 m2 per plant. Survival, height, and width of the plant canopy were evaluated. The survival at 200 days of the plants without protection with fortnightly and weekly irrigation was 0 vs. 100 % for the plants with protection plus irrigation treatments (χ2 66.0; p < 0.0001). Five-year survival was 50 % for the plants with protection, and 72 % for those with protection and microclimate. Plant heights at 90 days were higher for plants with protection treatments than for unprotected (p < 0.0001). Plant leaves were bigger for the microclimate protection treatment at five years (46 cm vs. 31 cm; p < 0.05). Protection against herbivory and the microclimate favor survival and growth on degraded land.

Keywords : degradation; desertification; Sonoran Desert; palo verde; reforestation.

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