Agroforestry
A cropping system in which tree species or shrubs are cultivated along with arable crops and / or pastures.
Agroforestry was a key part of the rural landscape in Italy until the 1960s, but was gradually abandoned to make room for modern simplified agricultural systems and mechanization.
The introduction of perennial arboreal crops in association with herbaceous crops has now been reassessed in order to:
- increase biodiversity and related ecological services
- increase resilience to climate change
- protect soil from water stagnation, erosion, and loss of fertility (organic matter)
AGROFORCES Trial “AGROFORestry for Carbon sequestration and Ecosystem Services” is an experimental trial conducted by researchers from the University of Pisa and the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies to investigate how perennial crops can contribute to arable agricultural systems or pastoral systems
Characteristics:
•simplified agroforestry model
- start date 2017
- 18 experimental plots
- in each plot, herbaceous crops are grown between two rows of poplar trees13.5 m apart
- soy and sorghum are grown during the summer cycle
- short-cycle poplars are cultivated and cut every two years in order to produce energy biomass
Research aims:
- determine the net carbon accumulation of the intercropping
- evaluate the effect of the trees on the physiology of cultivated herbaceous crops
- study the competition between arboreal and herbaceous crops for water, light and nutrients
- evaluate the agronomic sustainability
Tools used:
- sensors for measuring the temperature and moisture of the soil and air
- weather stations
- data logger to record the hourly variations in the pedo-climatic parameters
- hemispherical photos to determine the effects on the herbaceous species of the tree canopy on the availability of light
The first data collected highlighted:
- the different behavior of herbaceous crops in the presence of trees the increase in the aerial biomass of the trees as the plant density decreases (comparison between the agroforestry system and the intensive system (SRC)