Samuel C. Allen

This book features five peer-reviewed reviews on the implementation of agroforestry practices. The first chapter reviews the use of integrated crop-livestock systems, with a focus on agroforestry systems. The chapter discusses the potential environmental and economic benefits of agroforestry systems, as well as their contribution to animal health and welfare. The second chapter considers the plantation and management of temperate agroforestry systems which combine timber trees and herbaceous crops. The chapter covers choice of tree species, techniques of tree planting, plantation maintenance and approaches to tree pruning and thinning. The third chapter provides an overview of the implementation of alley cropping in agroforestry systems. The chapter explores the economic and ecological benefits of alley cropping, as well as the challenges and major considerations of implementing these practices within North America. The fourth chapter addresses the challenges and key issues in the sustainable production and use of willow as feedstock for biofuel production in northern temperate regions, including the issues of feedstock quality for biofuel use. The final chapter explores the contribution of agroforestry to meet global strategies to increase biodiversity while sustainably increasing agricultural systems resource efficiency.

This collection features four peer-reviewed reviews on intercropping. The first chapter summarises data from over 50 field experiments undertaken since 2001 on cereal–grain legume intercropping using spring and winter cereal–grain legume intercrops. The chapter addresses the effects of intercropping on yields and quality, the agronomical performance of intercropping and cultivation practices in intercropping. The second chapter reviews the existing evidence on systems productivity, resource capture and use efficiency, between intercrops and sole crops for maize–legume-dominated cropping systems. The chapter also considers intercropping under different conditions, including those with heightened or reduced levels of moisture and nitrogen. The third chapter considers the effects of crop rotation and intercropping management practices on soil health, focussing on their impact on crop productivity, soil health enhancement and stability. The chapter also highlights the importance of leguminous crops and soil organic matter in maintaining healthy soils, sustaining crop productivity and enhancing biodiversity. The final chapter provides an overview of the economic and ecological benefits, challenges and major considerations of implementing alley cropping systems within North America. A case study detailing the performance evaluation of a pecan-cotton alley cropping system is also included.