Silviculture & Agroforestry

Hedgerow cropping (commonly known as alley cropping) involves planting fast-growing leguminous shrubs or trees like Leucaena leucocephala or Sesbania in closely spaced hedge rows, with arable crops like maize, sorghum, or millet grown in the alleys between them. Option analysis: (A) Silvopastoral integrates trees with livestock pasture. (B) Agri-silvi-pastoral incorporates livestock animals. (C) Multipurpose woodlots are dense forest blocks grown for fuel and timber. (D) Hedgerow cropping is the recognized agroforestry practice of cropping between woody hedges.

Shifting cultivation (slash-and-burn agriculture) is widely known in India, especially in the North-Eastern hill region, by the popular indigenous name 'Jhum' (or Jhumming). Option analysis: (A) SRI stands for System of Rice Intensification. (B) Taungya is an agroforestry reforestation system combining tree planting with crops. (C) Jhum is the ubiquitous Indian regional term for shifting cultivation. (D) Primitive farming is a broad anthropological classification.

SALT stands for Sloping Agricultural Land Technology, a soil conservation agroforestry model developed in the Philippines. It is defined as a contour hedgerow intercropping system where dense double hedgerows of nitrogen-fixing trees/shrubs are established along precise contour lines, with agricultural crops cultivated in the alleys between the hedgerows to control erosion on sloping lands. Option analysis: (A) Mangrove farming takes place in tidal wetlands. (B) Cut and Carry is a fodder harvesting technique. (C) Hill homegardens are multistorey homestead layouts. (D) Contour hedgerow intercropping system is the exact descriptive technical term for SALT.

Both statements are correct regarding canopy pruning in agroforestry:

• Statement I is true: Pruning removes lower branches and thins out the crown, which minimizes light interception/competition and allows sufficient photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) to reach the underlying agricultural intercrops.
• Statement II is true: The pruned biomass provides an immediate economic yield of small-diameter branchwood for domestic firewood, mulch, biochar, and animal fodder (if foliated).