Sterculia setigera Del.:: effects on crops.

In sub-Saharian Africa various tree species are maintained in crop fields by farmers for many reasons, even though their effects on crop yield remain unknown for most of them. A study in Senegal has shown that crop density (peanut, millet and sorghum) increased as distance from Sterculia setigera increased. Sorghum height, peanut plant crown diameter, biomass of peanut pods, millet and sorghum stalks and twigs increased as well with increasing distance from the tree. Under the crown of pruned trees millet and sorghum stalk biomass and peanut pod biomass were higher than under non-pruned trees. Therefore, these results show a depressive effect of S. setigera on crop yield.