The effect of the newly established silvo-arable agroforestry system on the soil moisture and temperature regime of the Amálie location

Helena Chalupecká

Bachelor's thesis

Abstract:

Coupled with the increasing convergence of dry spells and high temperatures, agricultural intensification has made cropping systems more vulnerable to environmental changes. Agroforestry, a sustainable land use system that combines tree cultivation and agricultural production on the same plot, emerges as a solution to these challenges, offering benefits such as improved soil quality and fertility, erosion prevention, enhanced water management, biodiversity conservation, microclimate regulation, and climate change mitigation through carbon sequestration. This study used a total of 36 microclimatic stations to monitor and assess the influence of a newly implemented agroforestry system in the Amálie location on the soil temperature and moisture regime at, above, and below the soil surface. The resulting data exhibited lower temperature amplitudes in forested alleys, with the most significant differences seen in peak temperatures, particularly during the heatwaves in August. On average, temperatures at and beneath the surface were 3ºC and 4ºC cooler in the forested alleys compared to the crop fields. The study also found that forested alleys reacted more swiftly and significantly to precipitation events, with the volumetric soil moisture content at 8 cm below ground being 7% higher in tree rows than in crop fields. However, due to the rapid water uptake by trees, the moisture content beneath them quickly plummeted, resulting in consistently lower soil moisture in forested alleys compared to crop fields. This trend persisted even at a depth of 25 cm, where the soil moisture content remained consistently lower even after rainfall events. Although the silvoarable agroforestry system implemented in Amálie may initially exert a negative impact on the soil moisture regime, its microclimatic advantages and capacity to improve water management through the alteration of soil properties, reduction of runoff, and enhanced preferential flow, are substantial. As the trees mature, they hold the potential to enhance the resilience of the studied agroforestry system, making it less susceptible to weather extremes brought on by climate change.

Keywords

silvoarable alley cropping system, integration of trees, arable land, modification of microclimate, soil-water status

Language used: English

Date on which the thesis was submitted / produced: 28. 3. 2024

Thesis defence

• Supervisor: Ing. Lukáš Jačka, Ph.D.
• Reader: Bohdan Lojka, Ph.D.

Czech University of Life Sciences Prague

Faculty of Environmental Sciences

Bachelor programme:
Water Management