01679naa a2200241 a 450000100080000000500110000800800410001902400520006010000180011224500830013026000090021352009610022265000170118365000190120065000210121965000190124065000280125965300240128765300220131165300260133365300210135977300570138015242142023-08-17       1994    bl uuuu     u00u1 u    #d7 ahttps://doi.org/10.1177/0030727094023001062DOI1 aHAGGAR, J. P.  aTrees in alley croppingbcompetitors or soil improvers?h[electronic resource]  c1994  aAbstract: Agroforestry has a high potential to sustain agricultural production in the humid tropics. One specific type of agroforestry, alley cropping, has received much attention as a means of producing staple food. There is now substantial evidence that alley cropping maintains soil fertility above levels found in pure annual cropping systems. Nevertheless, competition from the trees can significantly reduce crop yields. A model is presented of how the balance between the improved soil fertility in alley cropping and competition from the trees determines the final crop performance. It is derived from an alley cropping experiment in Costa Rica with legume trees (Erythrina poeppigiana and Gliricidia sepium), maize and beans. Better understanding of the factors that determine crop yield will enable improved design and management of alley cropping systems, and may allow alley cropping to become a more reliable means of improving crop production  aAgroforestry  aAlley cropping  aCropping systems  aSoil fertility  aSustainable agriculture  aArvores leguminosas  aCultivo em faixas  aSistema agroflorestal  aSustentabilidade  tOutlook on Agriculturegv. 23, n. 1, p. 27-32, 1994.