Woodland Degradation Effects on Brea Gum (Parkinsonia praecox) Production

A comparative study of the effects of woodland degradation on "brea" (Parkinsonia praecox) gum production was conducted in the Arid Chaco, Argentina, over a two-year period. We also analyzed the relationship of brea gum yield per tree with rainfall, tree size, soil water content, and other...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Arid land research and management Vol. 24; no. 2; pp. 152 - 163
Main Authors:	Muller, A.R. von, Coirini, R.O, Karlin, U.O
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Philadelphia Taylor & Francis Group 01-04-2010 Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects:	Arid zones Comparative studies Correlation analysis crop production crop yield dry season forest trees Forests Groundwater gums non-wood forest product nontimber forest products Parkinsonia Parkinsonia praecox plant gum Prosopis Prosopis spp semiarid zones soil degradation Soils surrounding trees tree age tree growth Trees wet season woodland degradation woodlands Argentina Chaco Argentina Argentina, Chaco
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Summary:	A comparative study of the effects of woodland degradation on "brea" (Parkinsonia praecox) gum production was conducted in the Arid Chaco, Argentina, over a two-year period. We also analyzed the relationship of brea gum yield per tree with rainfall, tree size, soil water content, and other surrounding tree species. The results showed that the woodland degradation state has a strong effect on brea gum yield per tree, with the secondary woodland specimens being the most gum-productive during the dry seasons (p < 0.0001). However, during wet years, we found that the woodland degradation state did not affect gum yield (p = 0.5615). We found no significant differences in brea gum productivity per hectare between secondary woodland and degraded woodland colonized by Parkinsonia praecox (p > 0.05). In both brea gum production per tree and hectare models, we found a significant covariation with the number of surrounding Prosopis spp. trees (p < 0.0001), an indicator of good state woodland, which can improve soil water content and thereby enhance brea gum production. Moreover, the number of surrounding Prosopis spp. trees was the variable that best predicted brea gum yield in a replicated regression model (R 2 = 0.41). The results of this study present the basis for a sustainable brea gum production in the Arid Chaco of Argentina.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23
ISSN:	1532-4982 1532-4990
DOI:	10.1080/15324980903574598