Samata multiplication with cuttings (Herinavalona RABEMIRINDRA (UNIVERSITE D’ANTANANARIVO FACULTE DES SCIENCES, DEPARTEMENT DE BIOLOGIE ET ECOLOGIE VEGETALES))
The succulent evergreen tree Euphorbia stenoclada (“samata”) is the most important dry season fodder resource on the coastal plains grazing grounds in the Mahafaly Plateau region. To increase production, samata can be vegetatively propagated with cuttings raised in a nursery. The advantages are: (a) protection against livestock, (b) selection of the most appropriate planting stock to propagate and (c) easy watering. Cuttings should only be taken from mature trees 7-10 years old and 3-4 m high. The mother plants should be healthy, with few spines, and no previous cuttings taken. Cuttings are taken at the upper nodes of the branches, approximately 20-25 cm long and 0.5-1.5 cm diameter. Transport of the cuttings to the nursery should be carried out in the morning to avoid heat. For effective rooting, the cutting is planted 5 cm (1-2 nodes) into a humid substrate in a plastic pot or directly into the ground. Best results are achieved using white sea sand mixed with some organic material. Cuttings should be raised in a sunny location. During the first 15 days, the cuttings need to be watered once every morning. For the next 3-4 months, they need watering every second morning. 24 hours before transplantation from the nursery to the final destination, the cuttings should be abundantly watered. Rooted cuttings are transplanted into pits of 10 cm diameter and 15 cm depth, filled with the same substrate as used in the nursery. For 15 days, the transplants are watered on a daily basis, and afterwards every second day. After 30-45 days, the transplants are ready to survive without further care. If the planting location is open to roaming livestock, the cuttings need protection.
Purpose of the Technology: The samata tree naturally reproduces by seeds as well as by vegetative reproduction. However the German funded SULAMA research project has had most success with multiplication of the local variety with cuttings. This form of propagation is preferable as it is much faster and gives higher survival rates of the individuals: neither does it need much planting material, equipment or technical knowledge. Providing the villagers with the know-how, and assisting them to create local samata-nurseries, makes this technology promising. SuLaMa-WWF started this technique in April 2015, establishing 5 nurseries with 2,000 trees each (3 with village communities, 2 with local schools).
Establishment / maintenance activities and inputs: On the coastal plain of the Mahafaly plateau region, the climatic and edaphic conditions do not support livestock raising based mainly on grasses. For 6-7 months, the herders are dependent on supplementary fodder plants, especially samata. The tree is fed by cutting its branches and slicing them. However pressure on this resource has led to depletion of stocks around many villages: this results from increasing demand and reduced supply. Higher demand is the result of changed herd movements, especially a shorter transhumance period. Lower supply is attributed to decreased precipitation, overuse of trees leading to poor regeneration or even the death of trees, and reduced samata areas due to the expansion of private crop fields. The overuse of trees is triggered by the overall scarcity of this resource as well as an ongoing privatization of the historically common land resources.
Location: Toliara II, Beheloka, Atsimo-Andrefana, Toliara, Madagascar
No. of Technology sites analysed:
Spread of the Technology: evenly spread over an area (approx. 10-100 km2)
In a permanently protected area?:
Date of implementation: less than 10 years ago (recently)
Type of introduction
| Specify input | Unit | Quantity | Costs per Unit (Madagascar-Ariary) | Total costs per input (Madagascar-Ariary) | % of costs borne by land users |
| Labour | |||||
| Labour | ha | 1.0 | 415.0 | 415.0 | 100.0 |
| Equipment | |||||
| Tools | ha | 1.0 | 23.0 | 23.0 | 100.0 |
| Plant material | |||||
| Earth and manure | ha | 1.0 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 100.0 |
| Other | |||||
| Transportation, ox chart hire | ha | 1.0 | 9.3 | 9.3 | 100.0 |
| Plastic pots | ha | 1.0 | 93.0 | 93.0 | 100.0 |
| Total costs for establishment of the Technology | 547.8 | ||||
| Total costs for establishment of the Technology in USD | 0.17 | ||||
more/better fodder --> less loss in animals --> easier to mitigate annual food shortage (subsistance agriculture) by selling animals
Still not, as technology still very new, knowledge transfer has just started very recently (May 2015).
