272
wood in 2017 in Argentina (SAyDS 2019). However, the economic relevance of the
Prosopis species from the Great American Chaco is not only related to its wood
production. They are multipurpose trees, generally used for more than one product
or service. They are suitable for silvopastoral systems, providing livestock with not
only shade but also highly nutritious fruits for forage. In fact, their pods (regionally
called “algarrobas”) are also used for human consumption in many ways, from traditional food preparations (e.g., “patay”) and beverages (e.g., “aloja” and “añapa”)
with economic relevance in the local markets, to food industry inputs traded regionally. A kind of flour is made by grinding the pods, which is used at home, in artisan
bakeries and in cookie industries. A coffee substitute is also manufactured with
ground pods. The official statistics have registered for 2017 the production in
Argentina of 180 ton of algarrobas for human consumption, 67.63 ton of algarrobas
for livestock forage, 30 ton of patay, 20 ton of algarroba flour and 2.5 ton of algarroba coffee (SAyDS 2019). Pods are collected from the natural forest, where each
tree produces in average 60 to 120 kg per year, depending on the species, the site,
and the year conditions (Galera 2000). Additionally, due to their tolerance to drought
and salinity, and their ability to fix nitrogen in the soil, Prosopis species are regarded
as a promising alternative for ecological restoration in degraded arid and semiarid
environments.
The drastic reduction of Prosopis forests in recent decades has promoted interest
in using the most productive species of the genus in afforestation, for a dual purpose
of renewing the productive resource and recovering degraded ecosystems. Since the
promotion of commercial plantations through the national subsidy granted by Law
25,080 for over 20 years, this interest has been translated into effective plantations
(Fig. 10.1), that made Prosopis alba the second most planted native forest species
in Argentina after Araucaria angustifolia. Currently, about 9000 ha are implanted
with P. alba in Argentina, which are, in average, 12 years old with few having
reached the rotation age. In most of this plantations silvicultural management was
not done, and the origin of the genetic material (seeds) is unknown (Salto and Lupi
2019; Leandro Arce, personal communication).
These afforestation experiences have contributed to the domestication of the species by generating information on cultivation techniques and seedling production in
the nursery. However, only in the last 10 years more specific silvicultural investigations begun in order to develop appropriate and modern methods for the cultivation
of P. alba. Concerning seedling production on an industrial scale, the traditional
system where seedling beds were at ground level, using polypots as “container” and
substrates containing soil, is being replaced by modern technics with suspended
seedling beds, using tray-pots and specific substrates appropriate for root development and optimal balance between root and aboveground biomass growth.
A mixture of composted pine bark, perlite, and vermiculite as substrate, in
125 cm
3
containers, resulted to be a good alternative for technical production in the
nursery. Fertilization is necessary to produce seedlings under these conditions of
substrate and containers. In this sense, a specific formulation has been developed for
P. alba, which increases growth in diameter and height to reach the optimal size for
transplant in 90 days (Salto et al. 2019a). This technological leap resulted in a
D. López Lauenstein et al.
wood in 2017 in Argentina (SAyDS 2019). However, the economic relevance of the
Prosopis species from the Great American Chaco is not only related to its wood
production. They are multipurpose trees, generally used for more than one product
or service. They are suitable for silvopastoral systems, providing livestock with not
only shade but also highly nutritious fruits for forage. In fact, their pods (regionally
called “algarrobas”) are also used for human consumption in many ways, from traditional food preparations (e.g., “patay”) and beverages (e.g., “aloja” and “añapa”)
with economic relevance in the local markets, to food industry inputs traded regionally. A kind of flour is made by grinding the pods, which is used at home, in artisan
bakeries and in cookie industries. A coffee substitute is also manufactured with
ground pods. The official statistics have registered for 2017 the production in
Argentina of 180 ton of algarrobas for human consumption, 67.63 ton of algarrobas
for livestock forage, 30 ton of patay, 20 ton of algarroba flour and 2.5 ton of algarroba coffee (SAyDS 2019). Pods are collected from the natural forest, where each
tree produces in average 60 to 120 kg per year, depending on the species, the site,
and the year conditions (Galera 2000). Additionally, due to their tolerance to drought
and salinity, and their ability to fix nitrogen in the soil, Prosopis species are regarded
as a promising alternative for ecological restoration in degraded arid and semiarid
environments.
The drastic reduction of Prosopis forests in recent decades has promoted interest
in using the most productive species of the genus in afforestation, for a dual purpose
of renewing the productive resource and recovering degraded ecosystems. Since the
promotion of commercial plantations through the national subsidy granted by Law
25,080 for over 20 years, this interest has been translated into effective plantations
(Fig. 10.1), that made Prosopis alba the second most planted native forest species
in Argentina after Araucaria angustifolia. Currently, about 9000 ha are implanted
with P. alba in Argentina, which are, in average, 12 years old with few having
reached the rotation age. In most of this plantations silvicultural management was
not done, and the origin of the genetic material (seeds) is unknown (Salto and Lupi
2019; Leandro Arce, personal communication).
These afforestation experiences have contributed to the domestication of the species by generating information on cultivation techniques and seedling production in
the nursery. However, only in the last 10 years more specific silvicultural investigations begun in order to develop appropriate and modern methods for the cultivation
of P. alba. Concerning seedling production on an industrial scale, the traditional
system where seedling beds were at ground level, using polypots as “container” and
substrates containing soil, is being replaced by modern technics with suspended
seedling beds, using tray-pots and specific substrates appropriate for root development and optimal balance between root and aboveground biomass growth.
A mixture of composted pine bark, perlite, and vermiculite as substrate, in
125 cm
3
containers, resulted to be a good alternative for technical production in the
nursery. Fertilization is necessary to produce seedlings under these conditions of
substrate and containers. In this sense, a specific formulation has been developed for
P. alba, which increases growth in diameter and height to reach the optimal size for
transplant in 90 days (Salto et al. 2019a). This technological leap resulted in a
D. López Lauenstein et al.