Species – Specific Allometric Equations for Predicting Biomass of Faidherbia albida (Del.) A. Chev. In the Sudano-sahelian Savannahs of Far-North, Cameroon

Abstract

To contribute to the accurate assessment of carbon of agroforest species of Sudano-sahelian ecosystems, a study based on the establishment of mono-specific allometric equations were investigated in the arboreous parks of the Far-North Cameroon. A total of 20 individual trees of Faidherbia albida was harvested in savannah and distributed across a range of diameter classes, from 10 to 60 cm. The diameter at breast height of these individuals and their height were measured. After tree cutting, biomass of compartments of leave, branches and stem were determined after drying and weighing. Various allometric equations between biomasses and two parameters of the tree (the diameter and the height) were tested. The adjusted coefficient of determination (R2adj), the residual standard error (RSE) and the Akaike Information Criteria were used for choosing the best models. The main results reveal that there is a positive and significant relationship between the height of the trees and their diameter (R2 = 0.75, n = 17 and P < 0.05). The best model for the biomass prediction of all compartments of F. albida is in the form ln(B) = a + b*ln(D2H), with ln(B) = -1.42 + 0.58*ln(D2H) for leaf biomass, ln(B) = - 5.83 + 1.11*ln(D2H) for the branch, ln(B) = - 4.01 + 0.94*ln(D2H) for the stem, and finally ln(B) = -2.83 + 0.91*ln(D2H) for the total biomass. Their adjusted coefficient of determination is 0.71, 0.90, 0.93 and 0.93 respectively. The branch biomass represents about 42.16% of the total aerial biomass and is the highest relative to the other compartments. Theses equations bring a contribution to a reliable and quick assessment of carbon stock of arboreous parks to F. albida in the framework of study on climate change mitigation in Sudano-sahelian zone in particular and in the World in general.