Economic Evaluation and Yield Performance of Some Medicinal Plants in Coconut Based Multistoried Agroforestry Systems

Abstract

An experiment was conducted at the existing multistoried coconut orchard of the Horticulture Farm of Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh to investigate the performance of three medicinal plants viz. aloe vera (Aloe indica), asparagus (Asparagus racemosus) and misridana (Kaempferia angustifolia) in coconut based multistoried agroforestry system (MAF) during March 2005 to March 2007. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design with five replications. Three treatments combinations were: T1- coconut + guava + individual three medicinal plant based agroforestry system, T2- coconut + lemon + individual three medicinal plant based agroforestry system, and T3- individual three medicinal plants in open condition. In the open condition, T3 received 100% sunlight; while coconut + guava based system (T1) and coconut + lemon based system (T2) were allowed 42 to 46% and 53 to 58% sunlight for the growth of the three medicinal plants, respectively. Coconut trees were planted thirty years before (August, 1978) in the spacing of 8m x 8m. As the middle layer plant, both guava and lemon were five years old. Spacing between plants of guava and/or lemon and between rows were 3m ´ 3m. The result showed that multistoried agroforestry systems resulted significant influence on yield and yield attributing parameters of the three medicinal plants. The results also revealed that among the three medicinal plants, asparagus and misridana produced maximum yield under MAF, while aloe vera yielded maximum in sole cropping. Despite of lower yields of aloe vera, the highest gross returns were observed under coconut based multistoried agroforestry systems compared to sole cropping. It was due to the substantial additional contribution by coconut, guava and lemon fruits in MAF, while extra benefit was absent under sole cropping condition. Moreover, between the two different combinations of coconut based multistoried agroforestry systems, the highest benefit cost ratio (BCR) was recorded from the coconut+guava based MAF (T1).DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/agric.v10i1.11067The Agriculturists 2012; 10(1): 71-80