Temperate agroforestry research: considering multifunctional woody polycultures and the design of long-term field trials
2017
Lovell, Sarah Taylor | Dupraz, Christian | Gold, Michael | Jose, Shibu | Revord, Ronald | Stanek, Erik | Wolz, Kevin J. | Department of Crop Sciences, Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment, Plant Science Lab ; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign [Urbana] (UIUC) ; University of Illinois System-University of Illinois System | 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 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) | School of Natural Resources, The Center for Agroforestry ; University of Missouri [Columbia] (Mizzou) ; University of Missouri System-University of Missouri System | Department of Crop Sciences, Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment ; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign [Urbana] (UIUC) ; University of Illinois System-University of Illinois System | Department of Crop Sciences ; Georg-August-University = Georg-August-Universität Göttingen | Program in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology, Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment, ; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign [Urbana] (UIUC) ; University of Illinois System-University of Illinois System | Institute for Sustainability, Energy, and Environment at the University of Illinois ; National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Hatch project : ILLU-802-938
The many benefits of agroforestry are well-documented, from ecological functions such as biodiversity conservation and water quality improvement, to cultural functions including aesthetic value. In North American agroforestry, however, little emphasis has been placed on production capacity of the woody plants themselves, taking into account their ability to transform portions of the landscape from annual monoculture systems to diversified perennial systems capable of producing fruits, nuts, and timber products. In this paper, we introduce the concept of multifunctional woody polycultures (MWPs) and consider the design of long-term experimental trials for supporting research on agroforestry emphasizing tree crops. Critical aspects of long-term agroforestry experiments are summarized, and two existing well-documented research sites are presented as case studies. A new long-term agroforestry trial at the University of Illinois, “Agroforestry for Food,” is introduced as an experiment designed to test the performance of increasingly complex woody plant combinations in an alley cropping system with productive tree crops. This trial intends to address important themes of food security, climate change, multifunctionality, and applied solutions. The challenges of establishing, maintaining, and funding long-term agroforestry research trials are discussed.
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