Journal
ARID LAND RESEARCH AND MANAGEMENT
Volume 26, Issue 4, Pages 285-296Publisher
TAYLOR & FRANCIS INC
DOI: 10.1080/15324982.2012.694394
Keywords
agroforestry; intercropping; interspecies competition; Loess Plateau; soil moisture; soil nutrients
Categories
Funding
- Central Universities Fund for Scientific Research and Action [HJ2010-24]
- National Scientific and Technology Program of China [2011BAD38B02]
- Beijing Municipal Education Commission's Project for the establishment of key disciplines
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Agroforestry has been widely applied in the Loess Plateau of China as a means of reducing soil and water losses, restoring ecological balance, and improving both land-use efficiency and economic returns. However, agroforestry also introduces a degree of competition for soil moisture and nutrients. Walnut (Juglans regia L.)-peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) and walnut-soybean (Glycine max L. Merr.) intercropping systems that have been used throughout the Loess Plateau were selected as the basis for a study of agroforestry system-its advantages and its disadvantages with respect to soil moisture, soil nutrients, root distributions, yields, and economic returns. The results showed that soil moisture and nutrient levels were affected by intercropping with walnut trees, and that the degree to which they were affected decreased as distance from the trees increased. On the other hand, intercropping with walnut trees can increase land-use efficiency by 75% and economic returns by 17%. On the basis of the study findings, we conclude that walnut-peanut and walnut-soybean intercropping can be practical and beneficial in the study region, but irrigation and fertilization methods need to be further studied and improved, root barriers should be installed at the tree-crop interface, and the distance between crops and tree rows should be adjusted to minimize competition for soil moisture and nutrients.
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