DISCOVERY OF THORNLESS, NON-BROWSED, ERECT TROPICAL PROSOPIS IN 3-YEAR-OLD HAITIAN PROGENY TRIALS

Native Prosopis juliflora (bayahonde) provides the bulk of the fuelwood for Haiti and provides pods useful for animal feed in the dry season. A country-wide collection of native Prosopis was made and compared with tropical Prosopis families from Peru and with subtropical Prosopis families from the southwestern USA, Argentina and Chile in a progeny/provenance trial with 70 families. The height, form, survival and biomass of these plantings were measured 8 months and 27 months after planting. The overall survival of this non-irrigated planting was 93%. At 27 months the eight tallest families were of Peruvian origin and ranged in mean height from 208 to 235 cm. Some of the Peruvian Prosopis were thornless, erect and non-browsed by goats that broke through the exclosure. In contrast thornless Prosopis alba and Leucaena pulverulenta were severely browsed and experienced high mortality. Although the trees have not yet produced pods, the Peruvian Prosopis were collected from trees that provide sweet pods used to make a beverage for human consumption.