The canopy structure as a factor determining forest productivity: the analysis of the waves agroforestry system

• Grant number: 19/20734-5
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Effective date (Start): March 01, 2020
• Effective date (End): February 28, 2022
• Field of knowledge: Interdisciplinary Subjects
• Principal researcher: Ciro Abbud Righi
• Grantee: Gabriella da Silva Ribeiro
• Home Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Crop and forest plantations in monocultures have been growing too much lately because of the high demand for food and wood-based products. On the other hand, the increase of these plantations has caused problems related to the rural exodus and the decrease of food production related to the size of the cultivated area. There is an opportunity to incorporate large-scale monocultural plantations into agroforestry systems (AFSs) to create ecologically designed, socially feasible and economically viable production systems. Thus, it is possible to design a new planting system in order to promote the best use of available resources in the environment and, consequently, maximize productivity. This work objectives to comparatively evaluate the growth of eucalyptus and achiote (Bixa orellana L) trees as a function of different planting systems: wave agroforestry system - AFS Wave and monoculture as well as to evaluate the plant responses to different environments. The experiment was created in 2009 and uses the concept of three-dimensional structure mediated by a planting time scale to create an undulating canopy and thus maximize yields and obtain returns over the time. Both eucalyptus and achiote trees were planted in AFS and monoculture, respectively at 3 x 2 meters and 3 x 6 meters spacing. To verify the productivity of the systems will be made and installed dendrometric tapes to monitor the growth of eucalyptus trees. The canopy architecture of eucalyptus and achiote trees will be evaluated for the purpose of comparative verification between the planting systems and thus verifying the structural variation of the vegetation in response to the environment. The total aerial biomass quantification of eucalyptus trees will be performed in AFS and monoculture by destructive analysis. The nitrogen content of eucalyptus leaves will be determined by trying to relate their growth under different conditions of solar radiation availability. In addition, it will be verified the variation of the leaf area index (LAI) as well as the soil water availability in the different planting systems (AFS and monoculture). (AU)