TY - THES A1 - Zhao, Jingyi T1 - The Potential of Paulownia tomentosa in Agroforestry Systems - A Literature Review N2 - Since the late middle of the 20th century, scientists have studied the agroforestry system as a potential land-use management solution to the problem of meeting the needs of a growing global population without jeopardizing efforts to maintain the ecosystem’s biodiversity or accelerating the adverse effects of climate change. This thesis introduces insights into the agroforestry system with a foundational understanding of the Chinese native tree, Paulownia tomentosa, commonly known as the Empress tree. The objective of this study is to evaluate the potential P. tomentosa that can bring attributes to agroforestry systems covering a literature finding earliest from 1961 to 2023. The observation of the fast-growing and large-shaped leaf has drawn attention to the potential use of biomass of P. tomentosa. Further research findings still need more effort to be considered on the focus of its nitrogen value, intercropping method, optimal yielding requirements, and expansion of cultivated in tropical or foreign habitats. KW - Paulownia tomentosa KW - Agroforestry systems Y1 - 2023 ER - TY - THES A1 - Ziriko, Ponsiano T1 - Provenance influence on African Baobab (Adansonia digitata) mycorrhization potential. N2 - African baobab (Adansonia digitata L.) tree parts are mostly harvested for nourishment and economic purposes. However, the products are only extracted from the wild and are threatened by depletion which necessitates research into the species domestication and cultivation. Mycorrhization involves promoting foreign and native mycorrhiza linkages to improve the roots’ efficiency in nutrients and moisture acquisition. While origin can impact the development of A. digitata, its impact on the species mycorrhization potential is not well understood, and was investigated in this thesis. A. digitata plants were grown from seeds of semi-arid, sub-humid and humid zone origins of Benin inside a controlled climate chamber. The seedlings from each origin received native soil, commercial mycorrhiza fungi (alternative) and control treatments. Growth parameters were determined before treatments application and at termination. Models combining the effects of treatment, zone origin, unique tree characteristics and block arrangement were used for statistics. Only seedlings of the humid zone origin had significantly higher initial leaf count than counterparts from other origins. Insignificant differences among origins and treatments were observed for all the other parameters. Inconsistent significant interaction of treatment and origins was observed for final leaf count, stem diameter, root collar diameter, fresh taproot and dry lateral root weights. The results indicated A. digitata seedlings’ ability to show morphological similarities when grown under uniform conditions irrespective of the genetic variations which might exist among seedlings. These growth trends were not 1 affected by the presence of commercial and native microbes. Inconsistent interaction effects warrant further investigation to ascertain specific individual tree seedlings which might have been significantly impacted by treatments. Y1 - 2025 ER -