Growth and yield of soybean cultivated in agroforestry systems

Abstract

Agriculture has caused numerous concerns regarding the preservation of natural resources. In this context, agroforestry systems are emerging as a more sustainable alternative. The present study aimed to evaluate growth characteristics, radiation use efficiency, biomass partition, and yield of soybean grown in two agroforestry systems and full sun. A field experiment was conducted in Southern Brazil during the 2014/2015 crop year, in which transmissivity of solar radiation, leaf area index, radiation use efficiency, and yield of soybean were evaluated. The solar radiation dynamics varied among the study factors, mainly due to the agroforestry arrangements. Shading influenced the leaf area index, radiation use efficiency, biomass partition, and soybean yield. Based on the soybean yield values generated in this study, the use of more spaced agroforestry arrangements and Peltophorum dubium forest species is recommended. However, because the yield values were below the expected levels, it is not yet possible to confirm the full potential of soybean crop in agroforestry systems. Thus, new studies should be conducted in order to generate alternatives that make soybean cultivation feasible in agroforestry systems, such as assessing the use of more spaced agroforestry arrangements, the insertion of the soybean crop in the initial years of cultivation of agroforestry, as well as reduce intraspecific competition by decreasing the plant population of the crop.

Damage Intensity of Pod Borer Attack on Seven Soybean Cultivars on Mahogany and Pine Agroforestry

“…Setting the distance between plants in an agroforestry system has not been able to produce optimal productivity. According to de Cristo et al [15], further research is needed regarding alternatives to soybean cultivation in an agroforestry system and to prevent insect pest attacks due to the abundant availability of food in the cultivation area. Pod borer attacks in soybean cultivation using pine and mahogany agroforestry are generally quite detrimental because they reduce the quantity and quality of the grains produced.…”

Bayesian inference applied to soybean grown under different shading levels using the multiple-trait model

“…Glycine max (L.) is an important crop worldwide, with high grain protein and oil levels, and is extensively used in the food processing, animal feed, bioenergy, and chemical industries (Gonçalves et al, 2020). Soybean can be integrated into crop-livestock-forestry (CLF) production systems (Feng et al, 2019;Cristo et al, 2020). However, choosing the appropriate crop varieties for the CLF production system considering the shading of crops by forestry plants is important since shading can induce physiological and morpho-agronomic changes, which can affect productivity and quality performance owing to reduced photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) (Werner et al, 2017).…”