PERFORMANCE OF INDIAN SPINACH AND PINEAPPLE — AT DIFFERENT ORIENTATIONS OF LITCHI TREE

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted at the Agroforestry Farm, Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University during February 2007 to January 2008 to examine the growth performance of Pineapple and Indian spinach grown at different orientations around litchi tree. There were five treatments viz. 4 different orientations (north, south, east and west) of litchi tree for production of Indian spinach in association with pineapple and one control plot. The treatments were as follows T; — North orientation (average 37.12 % shade), T2 - South orientation (average 22.03 % shade), T3 — East orientation (average shade 48.61 %), T,— West orientation (average 40.16 % shade) and T;— open field (No shade). The experiment was laid out in Randomized Complete Block Design (RCDB) with three replications. The aim of the study was to detect the orientational effect (Various shade % created by tree canopy) of litchi tree in multistoried agroforestry system. The longest plant of Indian spinach as well as pineapple were recorded in east orientation. The values of all other parameters were found highest in open field (full sun light). Significantly the highest yield (7.12 ton ha’') of Indian spinach was recorded in open field followed by south orientation (6.60 ton ha’') while the lowest yield (5.80 ton ha”) was found in the east orientation. On the other hand pineapple exhibited the highest value for all its growth parameters under litchi tree with the increase of shade level, (East>West>North>South>Open field). Moreover, the results indicate that, the litchi orchard of northern part of Bangladesh have the potentiality to produce pineapple as well as Indian spinach as multistoried production concept, although the yield performance of pineapple was not achieved in this study as it needs another year for its perennial life cycle.