The fast-growing multi-purpose trees species are universally recognised as a natural gift and play imperative benefits to environment due to their exultant adaptation and survival capacity in the harsh weather. Water is a highly limiting factor in semi-arid regions. Trees are having special traits or mechanisms to adopt themselves in harsh climatic condition like deep tap rooting, leaf shedding in summer, leaf wax coating, sunken or closed stomata and short and small leaf size etc., in order to minimise the loss of water through transpiration loss. The identified / enlisted multipurpose tree species are the most commonly grown and preferred species for semi-arid agro- ecological regions viz., Neem - Azadirachta indica, Karanj (Pongammia pinnata), Desibabool (Acacia nilotica), Shisham (Dalbergia sissoo), Subabul (Leucaena leucochephala), Bamboo (Dendrocalamus strictus), Anjan (Hardwickia binnata), Glyricidia (Gliricidia sepium), Senna siamea (Cassia siamea), Khejedi (Prosopis cineraria), Siris (Albizia lebbeck), Kachnaar (Bauhenia racemosa) White Babul (Acacia leucopholea). Few improved and easily adopted agroforestry practices have been identified and it will be useful to small and medium farmers such as silvipasture, alley cropping, wood lot and protein bank and bamboo plantation for livelihood generation and wind-breaks/shelter-belt plantation to protect crop and animals from heavy blowing dusty winds. Also multipurpose perennials shrubs provide green cover/forage during summer season when grasses are almost dried under semi-arid rainfed conditions for balanced utilization of resources to provide other ecosystem benefits too. Multiple trees are ideal trees for meeting multiple needs of the farmers/ landholders. So, integration of tree species is essential component to be incorporated in landuse farming systems for effective utilization of land on multiple ways.
Multipurpose Trees, Boost Tree Farming, Semi-Arid Regions, fast-growing, India
