Abstract

ORDONEZ, Claudia Mercedes  and  RANGEL-CH, J. Orlando. Floristic composition and aspects of the structure of the vegetation in agroforestry systems with cocoa (Theobroma cacao L. - Malvaceae) in the department of Huila, Colombia. Rev. acad. colomb. cienc. exact. fis. nat. [online]. 2020, vol.44, n.173, pp.1033-1046.  Epub July 04, 2021. ISSN 0370-3908.  https://doi.org/10.18257/raccefyn.1183.

We characterized the vegetation types in agroforestry systems located in 47 cocoa plantations (Theobroma cacao) in the department of Huila, Colombia, based on the floristic composition and some aspects of the structure (basal area and number of individuals). The vegetation types of these systems were dominated by the species Pseudosamanea guachapele, Musa paradisiaca, Erythrina poeppigiana, Gmelina arborea, Psidium guajava, Manguifera indica, and Cordia alliodora while the characteristic dominant species at the regional level were Gliricidia sepium, Cordia alliodora, Amyris pinnata, and Persea americana. The systems with the greatest richness were those of P. guachapele with 36 species and M. paradisiaca with 25. The height of the individuals ranged between 3 and 21 m with the highest value in the P. guachapele system; the basal area was 64.30 m2, the highest values were registered in the P. guachapele system with 16.41 m2 and in the E. poeppigiana system with 18.03 m2. The participation of T. cacao at the regional level in the basal area was 56.63 m2 with a total number of individuals of 4,808. In sites with free exposure (clean cultivation at 11,000 m2), the average height of cocoa individuals was 3.5 m and the basal area was 15.31 m2 with 1,101 individuals. This amount almost equals what would be found in an area under the shade of equal size in the P. guachapele system (1,386 individuals) and five times greater than in the system with all the associated species but without T. cacao (217 individuals). Besides the cocoa harvest, these agroforestry systems offer wood, fruits, and firewood, and they provide ecosystem services related to soil protection and biodiversity conservation.

Keywords : Cocoa; Agroforestry systems; Floristic composition; Structure; Huila.

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