Suitable Agroforestry Trees for Different Agricultural Conditions: A guarantee of environmental restoration, increased farm productivity, nutrient security
Agroforestry’s advantages are already widely recognized. The amount of wood and other tree products produced for domestic and commercial use has grown. It helps restore soil fertility, ensure food security by reducing deforestation and preventing soil erosion. An appropriate mix of species enables agricultural land to withstand harsh conditions, such as floods. and dry spells. It increases farmers’ and rural residents’ resistance to dangers. of natural disasters and climate change.
Agroforestry can further strengthen the agricultural ecosystem overall to guarantee environmental restoration, increased farm productivity, nutrient security, and the provision of ecological services for rural communities.
Details of the suitable agroforestry trees for different agricultural conditions are included in this compilation.
Suitable Trees for Rain-Fed Areas:
| Scientific Name | Common Names |
| Azadirachta indica | Margosa tree or Indian lilac, Neem |
| Pongamia pinnata | Pongam Tree, Indian Beech Tree, or Pongame Oil Tree, Karanj (Hindi), Honge (Kannada), Pungai (Tamil), Kanuga (Telugu) |
| Alanthus excelsa | Tree of Heaven, Maharuk, and Ghorneem (Hindi) Heb’bevu (Kannada), Perumaram or Peruppi (Tamil), and Pedda maanu (Telugu). |
| Albizia lebbeck | Siris tree, Lebbeck tree, or Woman’s tongue tree, East Indian Walnut, Frywood, and Koko. |
| Hardwickia binata | Anjan, Kamara, and Aacha, |
| Pterocarpus marsupium | Indian Kino Tree and Malabar Kino Tree, Bijasal, Vijaysar, and Honne |
| Pterocarpus santalinus | red sanders, red sandalwood, and saunderswood, Lal-Chandan (Hindi), Raktha-Chandana (Telugu), and Chen-Chandanam (Tamil) |
| Santalum album | Indian sandalwood, White sandalwood, and Fragrant sandalwood, Chandana, Gandha, Srigandha, Bhadrasri, or Patera. |
| Syzygium cumini | Java plum, Jamun, Black plum, Indian blackberry, and Jambolan |
| Acacia nilotica | Babul or Gum Arabic Tree, Indian Gum Arabic, Black Babool Tree, Egyptian Thorn, and Prickly Acacia. |
| Acacia leucophloea | White Bark Acacia, White Babool, or Distiller’s Acacia |
| Ziziphus jujuba | jujube, Chinese date, red date, Indian jujube, or ber. |
Suitable trees for saline/sodic soil:
| Scientific Names | Common Names |
| Eucalypts | Blue gum, river red gum, mallee, box, ironbark, stringybark, and ash. |
| Casuarina | Australian Pine, Coastal She-oak, Horsetail She-oak, and Whistling Pine, Junglisaru(Hindi) |
| Pongamia pinnata | Pongam Tree, Indian Beech Tree, or Pongame Oil Tree, Karanj (Hindi), Honge (Kannada), Pungai ( Tamil), Kanuga (Telugu) |
| Azadirachta indica | Margosa tree or Indian lilac, Neem |
| Pithecellobium dulce | Manila Tamarind, Madras Thorn, and Monkeypod, Vilayati Babul/Vilayati Imli/Jangle Jalebi (Hindi) |
| Salvadora oleoides | Large Toothbrush Tree, Mitha Jal, Bada Pilu, Pilu, and Jal |
| Salvadora persica | mustard tree, salt bush.Arak or Miswak, Peelu |
| capparis decidua | Karira, kair, karril, teent, include kerda, bare caper, and karela. |
| Terminalia arjuna | Arjun tree, White Murdah, Maruthu, or Vellaimaruthu. |
| Cordia rothii | Grey-leaved Cordia or Grey-leaved Saucer-berry, Gondi |
| Albizia lebbeck | Siris, Shiris, Lebbeck Tree, East Indian Walnut, Woman’s Tongue Tree, and Frywood, Sitapuspa, Sukapriya, Mrdupuspa |
| Sesbania sesban | Sesban, Egyptian Rattlepod, Egyptian Riverhemp, Jayanti, |
| Butea monosperma | Flame of the Forest, Palash or Dhak |
| leucophloea | White Bark Acacia, Koirala, and Lal Khair |
Suitable Trees for waterlogged areas :
| Scientific Names | Common Names |
| Syzygium cumini | Jamun, Jambolan or Jambu, Black Plum, Java, Nerale Gida (Kannada), Naaval/Malai Naaval (Tamil), and Neredu (Telugu). |
| Pongamia pinnata | Pongam Tree, Indian Beech Tree, or Pongame Oil Tree, Karanj (Hindi), Honge (Kannada), Pungai ( Tamil), Kanuga (Telugu) |
| Michelia champaca | Champa or Champak, Champa (Hindi), Sampige (Kannada), Champakamu (Telugu), and Shenbagam (Tamil). |
| Terminalia arjuna | Arjun tree, White Murdah, Maruthu, or Vellaimaruthu. |
| Holoptelia integrifolia | Kanju or Chilbil (Hindi), Indian Elm, Aavil (Malayalam), Papri, and Karanji |
| Thespesia populnea | Indian tulip tree, Bhendi tree, Paras Pipal, or Portia tree. Paras Pipado( Gjarati) Porush(Hindi). |
| Acacia nilotica |
Babul or Babool.Kikar (Hindi), Karuvelam ( Tamil), Indian Gum Arabic, and Black Babool Tree. |
| Calophyllum inophyllum | Punnaga (Sanskri)t, Honne (Kannada) Pinna or Punna ()Malayalam, Pinnai (Tamil), Ponna or Puna (Telugu). Sultan Champa or Surpunka(Hindi). Alexandrian Laurel (English). |
| Lannia coromandelii | Indian Ash Tree. Moya, Wodier, Jhingan Mandhol, Modhad, Miniyo, Moyno. (Marathi), Moi, Shemat, Shimati, or Shinti |
| Casuarina | Australian Pine, Coastal She-oak, Horsetail She-oak, and Whistling Pine, Junglisaru(Hindi) |
| Eucalypts | blue gum, river red gum, mallee, “box”, ironbark, stringybark, and ash. |
Suitable Trees for Field Bunds;
| Scientific Names | Common Names |
| Tectona grandis | Teak or Sagwan (also spelled as Sagun or Sagwan). |
| Melina arborea | Gamhar (Hindi), Gambhari (Sanskrit), and Kumil (Tamil), White Teak and Coomb Teak, Shivani ( Kannada). |
| Thespesia populnea | Siris tree, Lebbeck tree, or Woman’s tongue tree, East Indian Walnut, Frywood, and Koko. |
| Bamboo | Bans (Hindi), Baans (Nepali), Moongil (Tamil), Bidiru (Kannada), Bengal Bamboo or Indian Timber Bamboo. |
| Ailanthus excelsa | Maharukh, Ghorneem (in Hindi), Heb’bevu ( Kannada), Perumaram and Peruppi (Tamil), Pedda maanu ( Telugu), Mahanim, Mahal, and Mahalimba ( Oriya), Ghod-limb,Maharukh (Marathi), Indian Tree of Heaven. |
| Azadirachta indica | Margosa tree or Indian lilac, Neem |
| Milia dubia | Malabar Neem, Maha Neem, Gora Neem, or Barma Dhek. Malaivembu(Tamil), Konda Vepa or Malabaru Vepa(Telugu), and Hebbevu or Karibvam (Kannada.) |
| Casuarina | Australian Pine, Coastal She-oak, Horsetail She-oak, and Whistling Pine, Junglisaru(Hindi) |
| Bombax ceiba | Semal, Silk Cotton Tree, or Red Silk Cotton Tree.Shalmali (Sanskrit) , Nurma, Huttian, Simal (Hindi), Kempu buruga (Kannada), Mullulavu, Booruga chettu (Telugu), and Ilavu, Purani (Tamil) |
| Lannia coromandelii | Indian Ash Tree, Moya, Wodier, Mohin, and Jhingan |
| Delonix elata | White Gulmohar or Vadhanarayanan (in Tamil). Creamy Peacock Flower, Waykaran, Samrsro, Sanesro, and Sandeshra(Hindi) |
Apart from the above trees, horticultural species like mango, sapodilla, jamun, and guava are also suitable
Suitable Trees for Fodder:
| Scientific Names | Common Names |
| Albizia lebbeck | Siris tree, Lebbeck tree, or Woman’s tongue tree, East Indian Walnut, Frywood, and Koko. |
| Hardwickia binata | Anjan, Kamara, Aacha Indian Blackwood. |
| Albizia procera | White Siris or Safed Siris, Hill Siris, Bili Bage, and Kondavaghe. |
| Melina arborea | Gamhar, Gambhari, Gmelina, White Teak Gomari (Assamese), Shivani (Kannada), Kumbil (Malayalam), Kumala Maram (Tamil), and Peddagumudutekku (Telugu). |
| Bauhinia purpurea | Kaniar ,Gulabi kachnar Rakta kanchan( Marathi) Purple Orchid Tree, Purple Bauhinia, Butterfly Tree, or Camel’s foot tree , Og-yok (Assamese), Chingthrao nganglei-naba (Manipuri), Nilattiruvatti (Tamil), Devakanchan (Kannada). |
| Bauhinia variegata | Orchid Tree, Mountain Ebony, Kanchan( Bengali), Kachnal (Hindi), Kanchanaara (Kannada) |
| Sesbania sesban | Sesban, Egyptian Rattlepod, Egyptian Riverhemp, Jayanti, |
| Ziziphus mauritiana | Ber or Indian Jujube, Ber (Hindi), Bogori or Bagari (Assamese), Ilandai (Tamil), Regu or Rengha (Telugu), and Bor (Marathi). |
| Moringa oleifera | Sahjan or Sohanjana(Hindi), Drumstick Tree or Horse Radish Tree.e Saijna, Sajna, Munaga, Murungai, and Shevga, |
| Sesbania gaudraniflora | Agathi, Agati, Agase, and Agasti, Hummingbird Tree and Vegetable Hummingbird, Bakphul (Assam), and Shevari(Maraihi) |
| Guerreia species | Dhaman or Dhaman tree, Phalsa for Grewia asiatica and Mallow raisin or Mallow-leaved crossberry for Grewia villosa. |
| Gliricidia sepium | Seema Akathi (Tamil), Seema Konna(Malayalam), Gobbarda Mara or Gobbaradgidda(Kannada), Madri ( Telugu), and Giripushpa(Marathi), Mexican Lilac, Mother of Cocoa, and Quickstick |
| Erythrina indica | Pangara (Hindi), Boga Modar(Assamese), Indian Coral Tree, and Tiger’s Claw. |
| Morus alba | White Mulberry or Mulberry, Shahtooti, Tut or Tutri Kannada, Hippunerale(Kannada), and in Malayalam, Mulbari or Pattunoolpuzhuchedi |
Suitable Trees for controlling soil erosion:
Suitable Trees for Controlling Soil Erosion
| Scientific Names | Common Names |
| Pongamia pinnata | Pongam Tree, Indian Beech Tree, or Pongame Oil Tree, Karanj (Hindi), Honge (Kannada), Pungai ( Tamil), Kanuga (Telugu) |
| Leucaena leucocypha | wild tamarind, white leadtree, leadtree, white popinac, ipil-ipil, and subabul. It is also known as jumbay, river tamarind, koa haole, and tan-tan. |
| Albizia lebbeck | Siris tree, Lebbeck tree, or Woman’s tongue tree, East Indian Walnut, Frywood, and Koko. |
| Gliricidia sepium | Seema Akathi (Tamil), Seema Konna(Malayalam), Gobbarda Mara or Gobbaradgidda(Kannada), Madri ( Telugu), and Giripushpa(Marathi), Mexican Lilac, Mother of Cocoa, and Quickstick |
Suitable for growing in quarry and mining areas.
| Casuarina | Australian Pine, Coastal She-oak, Horsetail She-oak, and Whistling Pine, Junglisaru(Hindi) |
| Acacia auriculi formis | Earleaf Acacia, Earpod Wattle, Northern Black Wattle, Darwin Black Wattle, Papuan Wattle or Tan Wattle, Akashmoni(Bengali) |
| Eucalypts | blue gum, river red gum, mallee, “box”, ironbark, stringybark, and ash. |