Description and Uses
Prosopis juliflora (American ironwood mesquite) is a
tropical
tree from
Patagonia . It is mainly grown for its
nut crops
, which have a
very long shelf life. The crop is harvested by
hand picking. It starts flowering after
2 -
3 years. The yield will be
{missing data}, but in its top season there will be a yield of
{missing data}. Other crop types include;
gum resin, nut, fruit, fertilization, timber, fuel, tannin. The
{missing data} is used as
major food . The
fruit is used as "
{missing data} " with
sucrose ({missing data} -
{missing data}) as its significant
phytochemical. There is
{missing data} extracted by
{missing data} from the
tree's
{missing data} yielding
{missing data} -
{missing data} oil. The
tree's wood is called
{missing data} and has a density of
700 -
1,100 kg/m³. Regarding firewood production the
tree's growing speed is
fast, it's energetic value is
4800 ckal/kg and the wood's drying speed is
fast. After
20 years the
tree can be totally removed as it reached its commercial and ecological goal.
Prosopis juliflora has a lifespan of
90 years.
Environmental limitations
The tree is
11 meters tall with a crown of
6 meters wide. The
tree prefers a planting distance of
500 cm and a row distance of
900 cm. It is
very fast growing and
intolerant to shade.
Prosopis juliflora has a
deep root-system and it has symbiotic associations with the
fungi
(endo-mycorrhiza). It is
able to fix nitrogen moderately with
"Brucellaceae bacteria. The name(s) or string of bacteria include(s)
"not applicable ". The
tree's flower-morphology is
bi-sexual and is pollinated by
insects.
Prosopis juliflora is
evergreen and
a bit allelopathic and has
thorns.
Prosopis juliflora thrives in an altitude of
0 to
1500 meters above sea-level
(tropical). The minimum temperature is
-6°C; optimally between
14 -
34°C. The optimal rainfall is
650
mm/year. Without irrigation the annual rainfall should be between
50 -
1200mm (L/m²). The optimal soil-pH is between
5.0 -
9.0 in a soil texture of
sand. To salt it is
very tolerant to wind
{missing data} and to fire
a bit tolerant.
Pests and Diseases
Prosopis juliflora is susceptible to the following pests:
. And it's susceptible to the following diseases:
(missing data) ,
,
.
Seed Propagation
Seeds are
orthodox and can be stored for
36 months. There are approximative
30000
seeds/kg. The seeds can be propagated as followed:
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