Advances in knowledge of processes in soil–tree–crop interactions in parkland systems in the West African Sahel: A review
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Date
2015-03-11
Date Issued
2015-07-01
ISI Journal
Impact factor: 4.099 (Year: 2015)
Citation
Jules Bayala, Sanou Josias, Zewge Teklehaimanot, S. J. Ouedraogo, Antoine Kalinganire, Richard Coe, Meine van Noordwijk. (1/7/2015). Advances in knowledge of processes in soil–tree–crop interactions in parkland systems in the West African Sahel: A review. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment, 205, pp. 25-35.
Abstract
The ‘parklands’ that form the most widespread farming systems in the Sahelian zone of West Africa are
farming systems in which annual crops are grown under scattered trees preserved from the natural
vegetation by farmers following clearing the woodlands to make crop fields. Being mixed agricultural
systems, the interactions between trees and crops have always been a key element determining the
management options applied by farmers. This has also attracted the attention of scientists, with the first
studies of this nature dating back to the 1960’s. A combination of field trials, observational studies and
modeling has been deployed to understand soil–tree–crop interactions, including sharing of growth
resources by the system components. Based on this understanding, management options have been
discussed with farmers. The most common experimental designs used are transects from the base of tree
trunk toward the open field, concentric zones around trees or sectors under trees where various
experimental treatments are applied, depending on the objectives of the studies. Key findings
disentangled the contributions of each component of the system to the island of high fertility around
trees using isotopic techniques, tree effects on adjacent C4 cultivated plants and alternative C3 crops that
tolerate tree shade. Tree management practices such as pruning have been tested to modify the crown
architecture and the patterns of root distribution in order to improve light availability and resource use
efficiency. Increases in land use intensity require more active management by farmers of tree
regeneration. Despite scientific advances, there are still some methodological challenges in determining
the “park effect”, the tradeoffs and synergies between and among goods and services, and how to boost
the provisioning, supporting and regulating functions of such agroforestry systems. Providing such
ecosystem service functions is critical in the quest for ensuring food security while achieving adaptation
and mitigation goals in vulnerable environments like the drylands.
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Author(s) ORCID(s)
Bayala, Jules https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8579-1248
Coe, Richard https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9240-1463
van Noordwijk, Meine https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7791-4703
Coe, Richard https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9240-1463
van Noordwijk, Meine https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7791-4703