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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

Authors :
Louise Meylan
Bruno Rapidel
Louise E. Jackson
Christian Gary
Jorge Ortiz
Clémentine Allinne
Fonctionnement et conduite des systèmes de culture tropicaux et méditerranéens (UMR SYSTEM)
Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (Cirad)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Centre International de Hautes Etudes Agronomiques Méditerranéennes - Institut Agronomique Méditerranéen de Montpellier (CIHEAM-IAMM)
Centre International de Hautes Études Agronomiques Méditerranéennes (CIHEAM)-Centre International de Hautes Études Agronomiques Méditerranéennes (CIHEAM)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro)
Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (Cirad)
Centro Agronomico Tropical de Investigacion y Ensenanza (CATIE)
Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)
Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro)
Llano Bonito de León Cortés, Costa Rica
CoopeLlanoBonito
University of California [Davis] (UC Davis)
University of California
Jackson Soil and Root Ecology Lab.
CIRAD
Montpellier SupAgro
Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (Cirad)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-Centre International de Hautes Etudes Agronomiques Méditerranéennes - Institut Agronomique Méditerranéen de Montpellier (CIHEAM-IAMM)
Centre International de Hautes Études Agronomiques Méditerranéennes (CIHEAM)-Centre International de Hautes Études Agronomiques Méditerranéennes (CIHEAM)-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro)
Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)
Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)
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.

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⟩