Salicaceae family trees in sustainable agroecosystems
1992
Licht, L.A.
Research at the University of Iowa is testing the ECOLOTREE BUFFER, a prototype wooded buffer strip planted between a creek and row-cropped land with roots grown intentionally deep enough to intersect the near-surface water table. This project demonstrates that Populus spp. trees cultured by using this technique are both ecologically sustaining and productive. Measured data prove that nitrate is removed from near-surface groundwater and that the nitrogen uptake is present as protein in the leaves and the woody stems. The tree's physiological attributes contribute to a harvested value that can "pay its way"; these include fast wood growth, cut-stem rooting, resprouting from a stump, phreatophytic roots, and a high protein content in the leaves. The wooded riparian strip changes the local agroecosystem by reducing fertilizer nutrients causing surface water eutrophication, by diversifying wildlife habitat, by reducing soils erosion caused by wind and water, by diversifying the crop base, by creating an aesthetic addition in the landscape. This idea is a potential technique for managing non-point source pollutants created by modern farming practices.
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