Abstract
Silvopastoral systems involving poplars are common to rural landscapes in many parts of New Zealand. The effect of widely spaced trees of Populus nigra × P. maximowiczii, aged 8–11 years, on the surrounding micro-environment in a tree-pasture system was determined over 3 years at a southern North Island hill country site. Relative to open (unshaded, no trees) pasture, understorey pasture received 33% less radiation while radiation on the north side of trees (North) was similar to that on the south side of trees (South). Around one tree, soil temperature averaged 14.9°C annually on the North and 13.8°C on the South. Soil water content was highest in spring and winter (0.35–11;0.39 m3 m−3) and lowest in summer and autumn (0.21–11;0.26 m3 m−3), and differences occurred between plots in open pasture and those beneath trees in all seasons except spring. Soil water content of tree aspects differed slightly (<10%) in summer (South > North) and autumn (North > South), but not in spring and winter, when contents were similar. Soil pH was 0.2 units higher beneath trees than in open pasture in one of 2 years. Concentrations of Ca, K, Mg, P, and S were similar in tree and open environments. The study results complement those collected for mature trees, and will be useful in developing tree-pasture models.
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Douglas, G.B., Walcroft, A.S., Hurst, S.E. et al. Interactions between Widely Spaced Young Poplars (Populus spp.) and the Understorey Environment. Agroforest Syst 67, 177–186 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-005-3394-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-005-3394-0