Tree crop interaction in agroforestry system: A review

Abstract

Agroforestry is an ecologically sustainable land use system that maintains increase total yield by combining food crops (annuals) with tree crops (perennials) and/or livestock on the same unit of land. A large hectare is available in the form of boundaries, bunds, wastelands where this system can be adopted. Farmers retain tree of acacia nilotica, acacia catechu, Dalbergia sissoo, Mangifera indica, Zizyphus mauritiana and Gmelina arborea etc in farm land. Agroforestry-the deliberate combination of woody perennials on the same piece of land with agricultural crops and/or animals, plays a crucial role in climate change mitigation especially due to its tree component. Micro-climate amelioration and maintenance or improvement in soil productivity is the major positive interactions while competition for light, water and nutrients, and allelopathy are the major negative interactions in agroforestry systems. The balance between negative and positive interactions determines the overall effect of interactions in a given agroforestry system. The presence of trees on the farms ensures income diversification through the provision of additional resources like fruits, nuts, timber, vegetables, fodder, etc. People should be aware about the scope and benefits of Agroforestry and they should participate in implementation and development of Agroforestry in India. Therefore, agroforestry system is economically and ecologically sound practices with enhancement of overall farm productivity, soil enrichment through litter fall, maintaining environmental services such as climate change mitigation (carbon sequestration), phytoremediation, watershed protection and biodiversity conservation.