Abstract
A simulation study relating the effect of the spatial arrangement of trees on the photon exposure above an associated crop (PEi) was carried out for an alley cropping system of the leguminous treeErythrina poeppigiana (Walpers) O. F. Cook with sequential maize-bean cultivation. These results were combined with estimates of the nitrogen supplied by prunings from different tree densities to rank the arrangements. A significant difference was found in the PEi between the east-west and north-south-oriented alleys. The latter exhibited more areas of moderate shade, while the former has unshaded centres and heavily shaded parts next to the tree row. When the simulated PEi data was combined with the N supply from tree residues, the wider between-row tree spacings (6 or 8 m, with 1 or 2 m within-row spacing) appeared to be best. In general, to minimize shading of the crop, yet maintain a sufficient supply of organic matter and nitrogen in prunings, alley cropping tree arrangements of high between-row and low within-row spacings seem to be most promising. The east-west orientation seems to be more promising than north-south.
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Nygren, P., Jiménez, J.M. Radiation regime and nitrogen supply in modelled alley cropping systems ofErythrina poeppigiana with sequential maize-bean cultivation. Agroforest Syst 21, 271–285 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00705246
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00705246