Article
Agronomy
Fuhong Miao, Xiaoxu Yu, Xinkai Tang, Xindi Liu, Wei Tang, Yanhua Zhao, Chao Yang, Yufang Xu, Guofeng Yang, Juan Sun
Summary: This study investigated the differences in stem and leaf growth characteristics of Medicago sativa and Bromus inermis under different planting modes. The results showed that mixed sowing in alternating rows was the most suitable mode.
Review
Agronomy
Benjamin Bishop, Nicholas A. Meier, Mark V. Coggeshall, Sarah T. Lovell, Ronald S. Revord
Summary: Agroforestry adoption is becoming popular in temperate US, with government incentives. European timber plantations have used walnut to grow spring grain crops between tree rows. Incorporating black walnut into alley cropping systems can reduce competition and provide nutritious nuts. However, variation in cultivars may affect compatibility with winter grains.
AGROFORESTRY SYSTEMS
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Alberto Mantino, Cristiano Tozzini, Enrico Bonari, Marcello Mele, Giorgio Ragaglini
Summary: Planting alfalfa under the canopy of olive trees can increase agro-ecosystem services, and adjusting light levels can enhance biomass production and nutritive value.
Article
Plant Sciences
Veronika Honfy, Zoltan Podor, Zsolt Keseru, Janos Raso, Tamas Abri, Attila Borovics
Summary: This study aims to contribute to scaling-up agroforestry through a case study in Hungary and to help design productive alley cropping systems. The yields of intercropped black locust and triticale in nine different layouts were statistically analyzed, and land equivalent ratios (LER) were calculated. The results showed that the more trees planted, the higher the volume of the stand, but there was a weak correlation between tree planting and triticale yield. Eight out of nine treatments had favorable LER (0.94-1.35) when the trees were five years old, indicating that black locust and triticale are a good combination for productive alley cropping systems.
Article
Ecology
Esther Guillot, Isabelle Bertrand, Cornelia Rumpel, Claudia Gomez, Didier Arnal, Josiane Abadie, Philippe Hinsinger
Summary: Alley cropping agroforestry systems were found to improve soil quality compared to monocropping systems, especially in terms of microbiological soil quality indicators. The introduction of tree rows in the system led to spatial heterogeneity in chemical indicators, microbial biomass, activities, and community structure at the plot scale. The overall soil quality index of the entire alley cropping plot significantly increased relative to the monocropping plot after 21 years of agroforestry practice.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOIL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Maren Langhof, Andrea Schmiedgen
Summary: Farmers are increasingly interested in establishing agroforestry systems due to their numerous benefits, including climate adaptation and crop diversification. Growing wood on agricultural land can provide biomass for energy or material purposes. Understanding the yield potential of the woody component in agroforestry systems is crucial for informed decision making by farmers.
BIOMASS & BIOENERGY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Lukas Beule, Anna Vaupel, Virna Estefania Moran-Rodas
Summary: Modern temperate alley-cropping systems, which combine rows of trees with rows of crops, have the advantage of complementary resource use between trees and crops and are environmentally more sustainable than cropland monocultures. Research on soil microorganisms in these systems has shown that they increase soil microbial abundance, diversity, and functions compared to cropland monocultures, contributing to enhanced biological soil fertility.
Article
Agronomy
Lorenzo Gagliardi, Marco Fontanelli, Christian Frasconi, Mino Sportelli, Daniele Antichi, Lorenzo Gabriele Tramacere, Giovanni Rallo, Andrea Peruzzi, Michele Raffaelli
Summary: In this study, a mower designed for weed control in orchards was modified by replacing blades with chains, and its performance was evaluated in an alley cropping system. The results showed that the chain mower performed comparably to the standard blade mower, with the setting of high working speed and high rotation speed of the cutting tool being the most effective.
Article
Soil Science
Camille D'Hervilly, Isabelle Bertrand, Yvan Capowiez, Camille Beral, Lea Delapre-Cosset, Claire Marsden
Summary: The study found that the effects of different shading treatments on soil macrofauna varied seasonally. In spring, most soil macrofauna had higher densities in the herbaceous strip than in the crop alley, while in early summer, this trend was mainly visible for earthworms, Diplopoda, and adult Coleoptera. In autumn, higher densities in the herbaceous strip were only significant for certain types of earthworms, while other categories of macrofauna showed similar densities at all distances from the herbaceous strip.
APPLIED SOIL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Kenneth Dunn, Lori Unruh Snyder, James McCarter, Gregory Frey, Joshua Idassi, David Schnake, Frederick Cubbage
Summary: Research on silvopasture systems showed that timber monocultures had higher projected returns than monoculture grass crops, with tree growth being exceptionally fast. Optimal NPVs for mixed silvopasture stands ranged from about USD 1500 to USD 3500.
Article
Agronomy
Francesco Reyes, Marie Gosme, Kevin J. Wolz, Isabelle Lecomte, Christian Dupraz
Summary: Alley cropping system shows potential in mitigating crop growth stresses caused by climate change, especially in reducing the impact of extreme weather events. Agroforestry can buffer the effects of climate change on crops and increase the stability of crop yields.
Article
Agronomy
Rahel Sutterluetti, Manfred Kayser, Martin Komainda, Johannes Isselstein
Summary: Trees in alley cropping systems affect microclimate and radiation budget, thereby influencing the physiological processes of the grassland component. The impact of trees on grassland growth is dependent on the climate zone and possibly weather conditions during growth intervals. The proportion of shade-tolerant species in the grassland also plays a role in modifying tree effects on grassland growth and the number of annual harvests. Factors such as distance and orientation relative to the tree line, as well as vegetation composition, further mediate the influence of trees on grassland growth rates.
GRASS AND FORAGE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Agronomy
Guillaume Blanchet, Karim Barkaoui, Mattia Bradley, Christian Dupraz, Marie Gosme
Summary: Alley cropping is considered a promising adaptation strategy in the face of more frequent drought events in Mediterranean regions. However, the presence of trees can limit crop productivity, especially under dry conditions. This study suggests that agroforestry systems may exhibit higher resilience in the case of early drought conditions.
JOURNAL OF AGRONOMY AND CROP SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Agronomy
Guodong Shao, Guntars O. Martinson, Marife D. Corre, Jie Luo, Dan Niu, Xenia Bischel, Edzo Veldkamp
Summary: Agroforestry has the potential to reduce nitrous oxide emissions, especially through unfertilized agroforestry tree rows. Optimized fertilizer input can further enhance the potential of agroforestry for mitigating nitrous oxide emissions.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY BIOENERGY
(2023)
Article
Soil Science
Xiaoyu Dou, Ruoshui Wang, Xuan Zhou, Fei Gao, Yang Yu, Chaonan Li, Chenghao Zheng
Summary: Soil water and nutrients are the main limiting factors for the stable development of alley cropping systems in the Loess Plateau of west Shanxi, China. The study found that water and fertilizer coupling regulation can improve soil water and nutrient distribution, as well as increase crop yield and productivity. A combination of 50-65% field capacity and 70% empirical fertilizer application is the optimal irrigation and fertilization management for this system.
SOIL & TILLAGE RESEARCH
(2022)
