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Evaluating the effect of shade trees on provision of ecosystem services in intensively managed coffee plantations
Evaluating the effect of shade trees on provision of ecosystem services in intensively managed coffee plantations
- Source :
- Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment, Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment, Elsevier Masson, 2017, 245, pp.32-42. ⟨10.1016/j.agee.2017.05.005⟩
- Publication Year :
- 2017
-
Abstract
- UMR SYSTEM : équipe CONSYST; Intensively managed cropping systems with emphasis on productivity of the main crop can benefit from additional ecosystem services brought by integration of trees in the system − but potential drawbacks must also be accounted for. In an on-farm study, we used a variety of plant, soil and water- related variables to assess the effect of Erythrina spp. and Musa spp. on the provision of ecosystem services in productive, high-quality Coffea arabica plantations in Costa Rica. We found 1) no significant effect of shade trees on coffee production overall; 2) evidence that shade trees do affect flowering and subsequent cherry development, with effects strongly dependent on climate and annual variations in coffee plant physiology; 3) Erythrina shade trees significantly increased soil litter and relative infiltration rate of water in the soil, both linked to soil conservation and decrease in erosion; 4) even in highly fertilized environments, Erythrina trees do fix N which was taken up by adjacent coffee plants. The lack of significant negative effect of shade trees on overall coffee yield and the observation of the provision of other useful services was not unexpected, because of 1) the low density of shade trees in the study site (100–350 trees/ha pruned twice a year on average) and 2) the sensitivity of coffee yields to other interacting effects such as climate, pests and diseases and physiological variations in the plant. Pending further long-term research into the factors affecting coffee yield, we find shade trees provide sufficient ecosystem services to justify their integration in even intensively managed plantations.
- Subjects :
- 0106 biological sciences
[SDV.SA]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Agricultural sciences
Litière forestière
F08 - Systèmes et modes de culture
Arbre d'ombrage
adaptation aux changements climatiques
écosystème agricole
01 natural sciences
Ecosystem services
agroforestry
Floraison
Transport des substances nutritives
Erythrina
2. Zero hunger
agroforesterie
Ecology
biology
Agroforestry
04 agricultural and veterinary sciences
café
Coffea arabica
Plant litter
Productivity (ecology)
N fixation
planting
P33 - Chimie et physique du sol
Fixation de l'azote
coffee
plantation
yield components
Crop
Matière organique du sol
Fertilité du sol
[SDV.BV]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Vegetal Biology
Theobroma cacao
tradeoff
P35 - Fertilité du sol
Cycle hydrologique
15. Life on land
biology.organism_classification
Résistance aux maladies
K10 - Production forestière
services écosystémiques
Résistance à la sécheresse
040103 agronomy & agriculture
0401 agriculture, forestry, and fisheries
Animal Science and Zoology
Soil conservation
ecosystem services
Agronomy and Crop Science
Cropping
010606 plant biology & botany
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 01678809
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment, Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment, Elsevier Masson, 2017, 245, pp.32-42. ⟨10.1016/j.agee.2017.05.005⟩
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....e14fc2485eb2a6703d43163933945a73
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2017.05.005⟩