Search

Ensete superbum (Roxb.) Cheesman an important taxon in India is threatened in Maharashtra. It is sporadically distributed on high altitude slopes and rocky cliffs in the Western Ghats. It is an important medicinal and economic plant utilized by people living in rural areas, while the leaves are also utilized in urban areas. The leaves are harvested for commercial purposes. The effect of leaf harvest on natural population with respect to regeneration of new plantlets was evaluated. The results revealed that, non-scientific leaf harvesting resulted in significantly reduced flowering and fruiting, less number of new plantlets in the population, and population degradation. Therefore, leaf harvesting should be practiced in a controlled manner to maintain the population health of this highly potential species.

1. Natural populations deliver a wide range of products that provide income for millions of people and need to be exploited sustainably. Large heterogeneity in individual performance within these exploited populations has the potential to improve population recovery after exploitation and thus help sustain yields over time. 2. We explored the potential of using individual heterogeneity to design smarter harvest schemes, by sparing individuals that contribute most to future productivity and population growth, using the understorey palm Chamaedorea elegans as a model system. Leaves of this palm are an important non‐timber forest product and long‐term inter‐individual growth variability can be evaluated from internode lengths. 3. We studied a population of 830 individuals, half of which was subjected to a 67% defoliation treatment for 3 years. We measured effects of defoliation on vital rates and leaf size—a trait that determines marketability. We constructed integral projection models in which vital rates depended on stem length, past growth rate and defoliation and evaluated transient population dynamics to quantify population development and leaf yield. We then simulated scenarios in which we spared individuals that were either most important for population growth or had leaves smaller than marketable size. 4. Individuals varying in size or past growth rate responded similar to leaf harvesting in terms of growth and reproduction. By contrast, a reduction in survival chance was smaller in large individuals than in small ones. Simulations showed that harvest‐induced population decline was greatly reduced when sparing individuals from size and past growth classes that contributed most to population growth. Under this scenario, cumulative leaf harvest over 20 years was somewhat reduced, but long‐term leaf production was sustained. A threefold increase in leaf yield was generated when individuals with small leaves were spared. 5. Synthesis and applications. This study demonstrates the potential to create smarter systems of palm leaf harvest by accounting for individual heterogeneity within exploited populations. Sparing individuals that contribute most to population growth ensured sustained leaf production over time. The concepts and methods presented here are generally applicable to exploited plant and animal species which exhibit considerable individual heterogeneity., Journal of Applied Ecology, 55 (4), ISSN:0021-8901, ISSN:1365-2664

Summary 1. Rain forest understorey plants suffer leaf area losses due to natural causes or when leaves are harvested as non-timber forest products. The negative effects of defoliation on plant fitness can be exacerbated during periods with strong water shortage and high temperatures, typical during ENSO (El Nino Southern Oscillation) years in Mexico and Central America. At present, the iso- lated and combined demographic effects of ENSO events and repeated defoliation on tropical rain forest plants are poorly understood. 2. We studied the consequences of repeated defoliation and an ENSO event on vital rates (mortal- ity, growth, and reproduction) of the dioecious understorey palm Chamaedorea elegans .F rom March 1997 to March 2000 (including the 1998 ENSO year), we subjected 814 mature individuals to one of five defoliation treatments (0-100% of newly produced leaves were removed twice a year), recording mortality, growth (leaf production) and reproduction (inflorescence and seed production) every 6 months. 3. Increasing defoliation strongly reduced reproduction but had smaller effects on growth and mor- tality. Among non-defoliated palms, the probability of mortality increased with light availability, likely due to drought stress during the dry season, but this was not the case for the defoliated plants, probably because leaf area removal lowered transpiration and increased the root mass-to-leaf area ratio. During the ENSO year, growth and inflorescence production were stimulated, but survivor- ship and seed production diminished significantly, independent of defoliation level. 4. Synthesis. Variation in light availability and the occurrence of severe droughts can strongly affect demographic behaviour of understorey plants such as C. elegans, significantly influencing the effects of defoliation. Thus, strong episodic disturbance events (such as ENSO, insect outbreaks, strong storms, fires and landslides) should be taken into account to adequately understand the mechanisms that determine the population dynamics of forest plants and the potential for sustainable utilization of non-timber forest products.

The objectives of this study were to assess the effects of leaf harvesting frequency on growth and yield of sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatus L.); to determine the suitable varietal types for use as source of leaf vegetable and to determine the suitable leaf harvesting frequency(ies) for reduced detrimental effects on growth and yield of sweetpotato. Two narrow leafed varieties Budagala and Mwananjemu and two broad leafed varieties SPN/O and Biganana were used in a randomised complete block design with 3 replications. Plot size was 8.4 m2 . Tip cuttings of 20 cm long were used as planting materials. The fully expanded top and tender leaves were plucked, counted and weighed. Tender leaves were harvested once, twice and three times during the growing period. Results showed that there were small differences between varieties and harvesting frequencies, however, harvesting at one month intervals for three times gave the highest leaf vegetable production although the yield was affected tremendously. Harvesting twice in a growing period proved the best in leaf production as well as root yields. Overall, there were significant differences between varieties and harvesting frequencies. Key Words: Ipomoea batatus, leaf harvesting, Tanzania, tuber and vine yields (African Crop Science Journal 2001 9(1): 97-103)