Technical Review Colorado Delta Project
November 21, 2008 -
Technical experts consider poleplanting trials Tamarix aphylla promising for biomass production in saline wastelands.
Next step: A 5 hectare trial in cooperation with the Mexican forestry organization CONAFOR.
Experts from India, USA and the Middle East, Europe and Mexico concluded that:
Given the right conditions, pole planting with T. aphylla seems to be the best practice for the production of woody biomass on salinized wastelands in the Colorado Delta. The main reason being: It can be developed without irrigation.
As these right conditions will only be present in a part of the saline wastelands in the delta, this solution can only be applied after careful investigation of the environment.
When sufficient brackish water for irrigation is available (in agricultural drains or as groundwater at deeper depths), it is worthwhile to develop irrigated biosaline models as well.
According to the peer reviewers, the following considerations are valid:
At least 15 tons/dm/ha/yr is possible given the right conditions. The range in yields is high. More R&D will help to stabilize the yields and produce a guaranteed minimum yield.
Pole planting is relatively expensive in its initial phase, but after that hardly any costs until harvesting have to be made. This will help to balance out the higher planting costs.
Economies of scale will be most important to reduce the costs.
Official reviewers of the project were three well known biosaline scientists:
Dr. Sharon Benes, Dept. of Plant Science California State University, Fresno, USA
Dr. Faisal Taha, International Centre for Biosaline Agriculture, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Dr. Gurbachan Singh, Central Soil Salinity Research Institute, Karnal, India
Also participating were the technical advisors of the project:
Ing. Mark van Benthem, forestry specialist, Probos, The Netherlands
Dr. Richard Soppe, geohydrologist, Waterwatch, The Netherlands
Participating as regional expert interested in taking up biosaline agro-forestry research :
Dr. Jose de Jesús Castellon, agronomist, Agricultural University of Baja California, Ensenada, Mexico
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