Journal Articles

Shade management in coffee and cacao plantations

Background

Shade trees reduce the stress of coffee (Coffea spp.) and cacao (Theobroma cacao) by ameliorating adverse climatic conditions and nutritional imbalances and increase the biodiversity of coffee farms, but they may also compete for growth resources. This review summarizes the literature on ecological aspects of shade-grown coffee and cacao and on management of shade trees, but does not address economic and social aspects of shade-grown coffee and cacao.

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Multifunctional Shade-Tree Management in Tropical Agroforestry Landscapes – A Review

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This article discusses the benefits of shade systems in the production of cacao and coffee crops, with a particular focus on the long-term cycle of cacao production.

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Performance of an Improved Fallow System in the Peruvian Amazon—Modelling Approach

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This research compares the ecological and economic potential of an improved leguminous tree fallow (using Inga edulis) to the traditional grass fallow (dominated by Imperata brasiliensis) in central Peru.

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Use of the Amazonian Tree Species Inga edulis for Soil Regeneration and Weed Control

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This article presents research on leguminous tree-based fallows using Inga edulis in Peru.

Research Goals & Methods

Four treatments were compared over a period of nearly 3 years: 1) natural fallow, 2) fallow with I. edulis, 3) fallow with I. edulis combined with a cover crop of kudzu (Pueraria phaseoloides), and 4) continuous cropping of cassava.

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Biomass Growth and Farmer Knowledge of Inga edulis in Peruvian Amazon

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This study develops an equation for diameter-based biomass estimation of Inga edulis. The tree is widely grown in the Peruvian Amazon as a naturally occurring early-successional tree and in small farms and gardens for fruit and fuelwood.

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Shade effect on coffee production at the northern Tzeltal zone of the state of Chiapas, Mexico

Background

Shade-grown coffee has been a preferred method in the tropics largely due to its benefits for biodiversity. However, impacts on yield are not yet fully understood, nor are the potentials for multiple uses of canopy species.

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Impacts of Native Trees on Tropical Soils: A Study in the Atlantic Lowlands of Costa Rica

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This article describes the results of a study in Costa Rica that compared the soil fertility in a 2.5 year-old plantation of 6 native tree species, grass pasture, and 20 year-old secondary forest.

Research Goals & Methods

Soil extractable Ca, Mg, K, P, Fe, Mn, Cu and Zn, the pH, exchangeable acidity, organic matter and total N were measured in three plots.

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Coffee yields and soil nutrients under the shades of Inga sp. vs. multiple species in Chiapas, Mexico

Background

The type of canopy structure that provides shade to shade-grown coffee may make a difference in production. While Mexican coffee producers have often sought to replace a natural diverse canopy with Inga latibracteata alone, the benefits of either method for yield and for ease of management have not been adequately studied.

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Effects of Inga densiflora on the Microclimate of Coffee (Coffea arabica L.) and Overall Biomass under Optimal Growing Conditions in Costa Rica

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This article compares a coffee agroforestry system shaded with Inga densiflora to a coffee monoculture in optimal coffee growing conditions in Costa Rica. The two systems were investigated to determine differences in microclimate, coffee yield, and vegetative development of the coffee plants.

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Ecological Interactions, Management Lessons and Design Tools in Tropical Agroforestry Systems

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This article discusses efforts to model and predict the outcomes of competition between tree and crop species in agroforestry systems. It provides an overview of the positive and negative effects of intra- and inter-specific competition and describes narious methods for quantifying the net effects of tree-crop interactions.

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