5.9
PROSOPIS JULIFLORA:
A MENACE OR A RESOURCE
Experience from India
Prosopis Juliflora – Trees and Pods
Approximate distribution of genus
Prosopis Juliflora from place of origin
About..
 The Prosopis Juliflora provides many of the needs of
populations living in tropical dry zones the world over.
 Over time, Prosopis Juliflora exhibits the ability to
improve soils via biological nitrogen fixation, leaf litter
addition and incorporation, nutrient pumping,
changes in soil structure and in soil fauna and
microbial populations.
 Wood of Prosopis Juliflora is a very important source
of domestic fuel for millions of people in many arid
and semiarid zones of the world.
About..
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Prosopis Juliflora wood burns evenly and hot. Goel and Behl
(1992) stated that the good heat of combustion of Prosopis
Juliflora wood is due to its high carbon content and high levels of
lignin.
 The wood has a high calorific value, estimated at 4216 kcal/kg
by Khan et al (1986). The positive qualities as firewood are
present even in juvenile wood, and Prosopis Juliflora wood
burns well even when green. This is a benefit as firewood does
not require storage and drying, avoiding losses from theft and
decay.
 Charcoal is consumed mostly in urban areas and is often
produced considerable distances from the point of consumption.
Vicious Cycle
Climate change / variability
Decrease in rainfall
High temperatures
Increase in intensity of cultivation
Groundwater use + Contribution of salts
-Use of complex fertilizers
-Surfacing of natural salts
from deep inside the ground
through groundwater
SEMI-ARID
ENVRIONMENT
-Energy Needs
-Charcoal Making
- Wood for
agricultural
implements /
funiture
-Pods / leaves as
livestock feed
ALKALINE SOILS
Poor germination,
Non-availability of soil minerals
Decrease in yield
Fallow lands
Suitable for
growth of
Prosopis Juliflora
Selling the wood
Prosopis Juliflora wood sold @ Rs. 80 paise to Rs. 1 Per Kg. (0.02 USD)
Charcoal Making – Additional livelihoods
during lean agriculture season
20 to 25% charcoal production from
100 kgs of Prosopis Juliflora
Market retail value @ Rs. 14 per
KG
Traditional earth kiln charcoal production
method..
The process is explained below in steps for better
understanding the charcoal production:
 Cut wood
 Select the thick wood and trim the wood to the
required length.
 Bring wood, straw and earth to a point
 Prepare the earth mound kiln
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Sort and arrange the wood vertically in the shape of a mound
with little void spaces
Cover the mound with straw
Cover the straw with clay (leaving the small portion at the top
open)
Traditional earth kiln charcoal production
method..
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Lit the mound at the top
Once the fire is started cover the top of the mound with earth
Create opening for escape of some volatiles and wood vinegar
on the sides of the mound against wind ward direction
Monitor the mound to prevent accidental fires – use fresh wood /
soil to prevent such accidental fires.
Remove the charcoal from outer side towards inner side slowly
Sort the charcoal and pack in bags and remove un-burnt wood.
Unburnt wood is burnt again for charcoal – a small earth mound
kiln is prepared for this.
Positive aspects of Prosopis Juliflora...
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Prosopis Juliflora is playing a vital role in sustaining the livelihoods of
the rural poor, including the landless, small farmers and artisans.
These groups of people also want a means to increase the value of
this tree.
Prosopis Juliflora is the major source of fuel wood and dry season
fodder, and provides additional income for some of the families.
The wood does nor spit, spark or smoke excessively, and the smoke is
never unpleasant.
Its popularity is linked to its ubiquity, i.e. that where trees are present
they are generally present in large numbers and are often found on
common land and are, thus, freely available to all sections of society.
Large branches and trunks yield a high quality timber, comparable in
colour, finish and physical attributes to Indian rosewood and other
commercial hardwoods. Also used for posts and poles, the wood is
also called ‘wooden anthracite’ in some areas. Useful to build cattle
sheds with the big size poles.
Positive aspects of Prosopis Juliflora...
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Fruit pods are high in sugar, easy to digest, high protein content
and are a rich food source for livestock like sheep, goats and
cattle. The yield of milk is relatively high if consumed by cattle.
Prosopis products have added value if processed, by turning
firewood to finished timber, and even more if manufactured into
furniture.
It is useful as vegetative fencing to protect the lands.
Additional employment opportunities are created and livelihoods
are sustained during agriculture lean season.
Charcoal is used for cooking, iron boxes, etc.
Charcoal + amendments help in reclaiming degraded acidic or
alkaline soils.
Recent demands for Prosopis charcoal
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Increased consumption of charcoal in hotels for
making traditional dishes.
The commercial cost of LPG is high and also often
there is shortage.
There is a demand from factories and industries for
various purposes.
Demand from sponge iron plants for production of
steel.
Consumption for cooking, iron boxes, etc.
Negative aspects of Prosopis Juliflora..
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In India, Prosopis Juliflora is an exotic plant, native to a region
from Mexico to Peru. There, the people have developed local
economies based on this tree and its products. They use the
timber and the pods stored year-round for fodder and are an
important item of trade. The tree has been introduced in parts
of India, but the ‘indigenous knowledge’ surrounding its use has
not percolated.
Difficult to walk on the tank bunds because of the presence of
Prosopis Juliflora.
Covered fully in tank water storage area, therefore the storage
capacity of the tanks is gradually decreasing.
Removing trees is very costly i.e., @ Rs. 10000/- per acre as a
JCB should be used for extradition, because it is almost
impossible to eradicate Prosopis Juliflora manually, as it has a
deep root system.
Negative aspects of Prosopis Juliflora..
 It spreads in all conditions, due to deep roots leads to
depletion of local groundwater resources.
 The thorns of Prosopis Juliflora cause lots of pain
when accidentally people get pierced by them and
sometimes some people were hospitalized.
 Under the shade of Prosopis Juliflora tree no other
plant thrives well, therefore no other biomass is
cultivated under this tree.It is a deep rooted plant
depletes soil moisture and makes water less
accessible to other shallow water plants.
 This biomass does not create a micro-environment to
attract rains.
WHAT NEXT……
CHARCOAL + AMENDMENTS
MANAGEMENT AND RECLAMATION OF
DEGRADED SOILS
Spread of Prosopis Juliflora in Kothur
Village, Mahabubnagar District, India.
Prosopis Juliflora has occupied
almost all the fallow lands
covering about 30% of the land
Alkaline soils
Fallow Alkaline soil lands occupied
by Prosopis
Use of Charcoal in Soil
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Creates space for soil microbes
Activates the mycorrhizae
Protect roots of seedlings
The use of charcoal prevents the leaching of nutrients out of the
soil, increase the available nutrients for plant growth,
enhance nutrient uptake from soil, provide minerals like Ca, K,
Mg etc.,
Reduce the amount of fertilizer required.
Improves water permeability, water retention potential
Decreases N2O and CH4 emissions from soil, thus further
reducing GHG emissions.
Charcoal addition in soil helps in carbon sequestration.
Reduced soil bulk density
Increased soil respiration
Enhancing soil microbes using charcoal
and spreading in the fields
Farm yard Manure + Charcoal
Addition of soil microbes and culturing
Results of application of Charcoal
Paddy
Cotton
Through use of Charcoal+
Amendments to soil,
Reclaimed alkaline soils
Increase in yield by 30 to
40 %
Other wise left fallow by
Farmers.
Charcoal from Good Stoves a source for
application to soils
Charcoal producing
stoves
Magh series
Designed by
Dr. N. Sai Bhaskar
Reddy
Good Stove – source of charcoal
Aspects
Traditional stove (three stone
stove, chullah, etc.)
Charcoal Producing stoves
(eg. Magh-1 Woodgas stove)
Efficiency
5 to 15%
About 40%
Biomass
conservation
Smoke
About 5 times less consumption as
compared to traditional stoves.
Very high smoke release
Cooking time
No smoke
Performance close to LPG
Temperature
About 300 deg centigrade
About 700 deg centigrade
Safety
Less safer
Highly safer due to enclosed combustion
chamber
Combustion
Burning of biomass
Generation of woodgas and combustion
Price range (in Rs.)
200 to 500
200 to 1000
Portability
Mostly fixed
Fixed / Mobile
Material
Clay / bricks / etc.
Metal / clay / fan
Biomass
Wood
Leaves / wood shavings / sticks / chips of
wood / pellets / (any other small
pieces of biomass rather than cutting
big trees).
Technology
Single source of air
Primary and secondary air
Sooth / particulate
matter
High
Very low
References
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CHARCOAL
http://e-charcoalmaking.blogspot.com/
http://e-charcoalmakingprocess.blogspot.com/
PROSOPIS JULIFLORA
http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/pdfs/international_programme/ProsopisMonographComplet
e.pdf
CHARCOAL + AMENDMENTS
http://e-alkalinesoilsterrapreta.blogspot.com/
http://e-terrapretarooftopexp.blogspot.com/
http://e-terrapreta.blogspot.com/
http://docs.google.com/View?docid=ddtcnc28_66cjdz64gt – GOOD STOVES AND CLIMATE
CHANGE
GOOD STOVES
http://www.goodstove.com

http://www.e-maghutham.blogspot.com/
http://e-smokeburnerstove2.blogspot.com/
http://e-maghcm1.blogspot.com/
http://e-smokeburnerstove.blogspot.com/
http://e-woodgasstove.blogspot.c/
http://e-goodstove.blogspot.com/
http://e-goodstovedesign.blogspot.com/
http://e-avanstove.blogspot.com/
http://e-twisterstove.blogspot.com/
http://e-goodstoveportable.blogspot.com/
http://e-adptstoves.blogspot.com/
http://e-woodgasstovemodified.blogspot.com/
http://e-smokeburnerstove3.blogspot.com/2007/08/magh-i-b-smoke-burner-stove-ormagh.html
http://e-maghlampstove.blogspot.com/