Abstract
This study compares the effect of four different Acacia auriculiformis tree densities in an alley-cropping agroforestry system (AFS) on food crop yields and some properties of a ferralitic soil. The aims is to identify the one that would allow for settled agriculture. The study was conducted in Yangambi, DR Congo, and lasted eight successive growing seasons. The design consisted of four plots of 1042, 1250, 1563 and 2083 trees per hectare, arranged in corridors of 10 m, 8 m, 6 m, and 4 m respectively, as well as a control field without trees. This design was replicated six times on the ground. Food crops were grown in the corridors in two rotational cycles, each cycle alternating rice, peanuts, maize, and cowpeas crops. The results show that the AFS corridors had a positive impact on yields for all crops. However, the impact of tree density was noted only in cowpea. Acacia auriculiformis also had an acidifying effect on the soil as pH values significantly decreased, particularly in the 6 m corridors. It increased soil carbon, particularly in the 4 m, 6 m, and 8 m corridors, but had no impact on nitrogen. We suggest that the experiment be repeated after 7 years of age to study the long-term impact.
Abstract from the paper’s OpenAlex record; open copy licensed cc-by.
The text the model read, with the source record’s inline markup (italics, sub- and superscripts) rendered and its character entities decoded; quote offsets refer to the raw text.
Claims 5
Claim · model-written summary
Alley-cropping corridors of Acacia auriculiformis had a positive impact on yields of all food crops compared with a control field without trees.
Verbatim
e0“the AFS corridors had a positive impact on yields for all crops”
e1“a control field without trees”
Claim · model-written summary
Among the crops, an impact of tree density was noted only in cowpea.
- Taxon
- cowpea
Vigna unguiculatae0 - Treatment
- tree densitye0
- Outcome
- impacte0
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the impact of tree density was noted only in cowpea”
Claim · model-written summary
Acacia auriculiformis acidified the soil, with pH values significantly decreased, particularly in the 6 m corridors.
- Taxon
- Acacia auriculiformis
Acacia auriculiformise0 - Treatment
- Acacia auriculiformise0
- Outcome
- pH valuese0
- Direction
- decreasede0
- Qualifier
- particularly in the 6 m corridorse0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Acacia auriculiformis also had an acidifying effect on the soil as pH values significantly decreased, particularly in the 6 m corridors”
Claim · model-written summary
Acacia auriculiformis increased soil carbon, particularly in the 4 m, 6 m and 8 m corridors.
- Taxon
- Acacia auriculiformisAcacia auriculiformist0
- Treatment
- Acacia auriculiformist0
- Outcome
- soil carbone0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Qualifier
- particularly in the 4 m, 6 m, and 8 m corridorse0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Acacia auriculiformis”
e0“It increased soil carbon, particularly in the 4 m, 6 m, and 8 m corridors”
Claim · model-written summary
Acacia auriculiformis had no impact on soil nitrogen.
- Taxon
- Acacia auriculiformisAcacia auriculiformist0
- Treatment
- Acacia auriculiformist0
- Outcome
- nitrogene0
- Direction
- no impacte0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
t0“Acacia auriculiformis”
e0“but had no impact on nitrogen”