The study was conducted in the neighboring villages of
Padikapuhela (6°21′30′N–6°22′30′N and 81°14′30′E–81°15′10′E) and
Pilimihela (6°21′00′N–6°21′60′N and 81°15′20′E–81°15′60′E), located
in Thanamalwila Division in the most southern part of Moneragala district
in the south-eastern part of Sri Lanka. The topography is undulating
lying between 50 and 70 m above sea level. The villages are located
within the driest agroecological zone in Sri Lanka where the soils are
predominately alfisols (Panagos et al., 2011). Major forest types in the
area are dry mixed evergreen forests and tropical thorn scrub forests
while the dominant land use is subsistence agriculture from paddy
rice, banana, homegardens and shifting cultivation. This region has a
dry tropical climate with a distinct dry season between May and September.
The mean annual temperature is 27 °C and the mean annual
rainfall is 1050 mm, most of which falls between October and January
(Mattsson et al., 2015).