Evaluating the effect of shade trees on provision of ecosystem services in intensively managed coffee plantations
2017
Meylan, Louise | Gary, Christian | Allinne, Clémentine | Ortiz, Jorge | Jackson, Louise | Rapidel, Bruno | 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) | Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (Cirad) | Centro Agronomico Tropical de Investigacion y Ensenanza (CATIE) | Llano Bonito de León Cortés, Costa Rica ; CoopeLlanoBonito | University of California [Davis] (UC Davis) ; University of California (UC) | Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA) | Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro) | Jackson Soil and Root Ecology Lab. ; CIRAD ; Montpellier SupAgro
UMR SYSTEM : équipe CONSYST
显示更多 [+] 显示较少 [-]英语. 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.
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