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Understanding evapotranspiration–vapor pressure deficit ( ET - VPD ) hysteresis for different ecosystems can improve our knowledge of vegetation adaptability to a changing environment. However, no previous studies have compared the controlling factors of ET - VPD hysteresis for different agroforestry ecosystems in karst landscapes. Therefore, this study explored ET - VPD hysteresis patterns and the controlling factors for three agroforestry ecosystems, using field observations in a subtropical humid karst catchment from March 12, 2015 to May 26, 2016. The results showed both similarities and differences in ET - VPD hysteresis among the three ecosystems. For example, all three agroforestry ecosystems exhibited noticeable ET - VPD hysteresis, and the hysteric magnitude showed noticeable seasonality with higher values during the growing season. For all three ecosystems, the ET - VPD hysteretic magnitude had no significant relationship with the daily mean environmental factors (e.g. meteorological factors and soil moisture ( θ )), but it was highly ( R 2 > 0.59) correlated to changing rates of meteorological factors (e.g. temperature ( Ta ), relative humidity ( RH ), and vapor pressure deficit ( VPD )) in the morning. The ET - VPD hysteretic magnitude of the forest–grass mixed ecosystem (142.48 ± 74.16 min) was significantly higher than that of the grass ecosystem (104.37 ± 82.93 min). Hysteresis reflected the extent of imbalance between water demand and water supply for ecosystems during a day. Therefore, this study may be helpful in modeling ET and further understanding ecosystem responses to environmental change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biosorption of heavy metals (HMs) using agricultural and forestry wastes (AFWs) attracts much attention due to numerous advantages, but more studies are necessary to develop effective biosorbent using locally available AFWs. Cinnamomum camphora leaves were used for HMs removal from synthetic wastewater. Carboxyl functionalized camphor leaf (CFCL) was prepared by a two-step modification including alkalization and carboxylation. Sorption of Cd(II), Cu(II) and Ni(II) was evaluated at different CFCL dose, pH, contact time and initial concentration of HMs. Experimental data were examined by sorption isotherms, kinetic models and thermodynamics equations. XPS, FTIR, XRD and SEM verify the introduction of carboxyl groups on CFCL and reveal sorption mechanism. CFCL is effective for fast removing metal ions with low concentration. The removal rate reaches 99%, and the maximum sorption capacity is 62.42 mg g −1 Cd(II), 49.96 mg g −1 Cu(II), and 26.42 mg g −1 Ni(II), respectively. Sorption of Cd(II), Cu(II) and Ni(II) onto CFCL is spontaneous and follows pseudo-second order and Langmuir model. CFCL also shows a good regeneration and cycling performance. This work suggests that the modified camphor leaf has remarkable potential as biosorbent for fast removal of HMs. Conversion of camphor leaf into value-added biosorbent reduces its negative effects and HMs pollution, providing a sustainable way to utilize agricultural and forestry wastes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The biobased chemical industry is characterised by strong growth. Innovative products and materials such as biopolymers have been developed, and current European demand for biopolymers exceeds the domestic supply. Agroforestry residues can serve as main sources of the basic building blocks for chemicals and materials. This work assesses sustainably available agroforestry residues to feed a high added-value materials and product bioeconomy. To evaluate bioeconomic potential, a structured three-step approach is applied. Cultivation practices, sustainability issues, legislative restrictions, technical limitations and competitive applications are considered. All data regarding bioeconomic potential are processed on a regional level and mapped by ArcGIS. Our results identify wheat straw as the most promising source in the agricultural sector, followed by maize stover, barley straw and rape straw, which all contain a total concentration of lignocellulose of more than 80% of dry matter. In the forestry sector, residue bark from two coniferous species, spruce and pine, is the most promising source, with approximately 70% lignocellulose. Additionally, coniferous bark contains considerable amounts of tannin, which has attracted increasing interest for industrial utilisation. A sensitivity analysis concerning removal rates, residue-to-crop ratios, changes in farming technologies and competing applications is applied at the end of the study to consolidate our results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agroforestry, the integration of trees and shrubs with livestock and/or crops, can make a substantial contribution to mitigating and enabling adaptation to climate change. However, its full potential will only be achieved if the challenges to agroforestry implementation are identified and the most efficient and sustainable solutions are made widely known. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to explore these challenges and to determine the most suitable set of solutions for each challenge that combines local effectiveness with European scale relevance. We performed a two-step “solution scanning” exercise. First, the main challenges to sustainable agroforestry in Europe were identified through 42 participatory workshops with 665 local stakeholders. The solutions to each challenge were scanned and classified into either direct solutions (28) to address climate change or indirect solutions (32) that improve the sustainability of agroforestry. In a second step, the direct solutions were prioritized through expert consultation in terms of their potential benefits for mitigation and adaptation. The most commonly reported barriers were a lack of knowledge and reliable financial support to which the most widely suggested indirect solutions were agroforestry training programmes and the development of safe economic routes. The direct solutions considered as holding the greatest mitigation and adaptation potential were the adoption of practices capable to increase soil organic carbon pools and the implementation of multifunctional hedgerows and windbreaks respectively. Our solution scanning approach can inform the implementation of the European climate strategy in general and to the Common Agricultural Policy in particular by pointing to concrete climate beneficial actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conserving plant diversity and retaining terrestrial carbon stocks are targets for environmental policy and appear to be generally compatible. However, detailed information on the way both respond to agroforestry management is lacking. Rubber and fruit tree agroforestry systems combine planted trees and trees that are tolerated or actively managed that derived from natural vegetation. The research aimed to evaluate plant species diversity, vegetation structure, and C stock in rubber agroforestry system (AF) and secondary forest grown in silty clay and sandy soils in Pulang Pisau Regency, Central Kalimantan province. A number of multistrata agroforestry systems was compared to the secondary (natural) forests (SNF) of the area these included Fruit-Based Rubber Agroforestry (AFB) of about 100 years of age, Old Rubber Agroforestry (ARO) and Young Rubber Agroforestry (ARY). The highest C stock was found in AFB (415 Mg ha-1), while the average C stocks of other AF and SNF were 217 Mg ha-1. A plant diversity index (H) was only weakly correlated to aboveground C stocks. Including the farmer managed agroforests in schemes to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation is relevant, as their carbon stocks match or exceed those of remaining forests in the area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study was conducted in above 50 year old tea plantation in Naharoni, Golaghat district of Assam with the objective to know soil physicochemical properties under long term tea monocropping. A total of 48 soil samples were collected from the rhizosphere zone of tea bush in four seasons namely pre-monsoon, monsoon, post-monsoon and winter from three depths i.e.0-20, 20-40 and 40-60 cm. Soil profile study was also done in non-rhizosphere zone. Soil pH ranged from 4.1 to 4.8 in rhizosphere soils and 4.5 to 5.1 in soil profile. Soils are strongly acidic in reaction. Studied soils were rich in soil organic carbon. In 0-20 cm soil depth of rhizosphere soils organic carbon ranged from 1.32 per cent in monsoon season to 1.82 per cent being highest in winter season. And in subsurface soils it ranged from 0.79-1.25 per cent in 20-40 cm to 0.66- 0.78 per cent in 40-60 cm soil depth. In soil profile study it varied between 1.71-0.20 per cent. Irrespective of any season significantly higher concentration of nutrient elements such as N, P and K were recorded in top layer (0-20 cm) of soil. Nutrient elements showed significant seasonal variations. Moderate quantity of available nitrogen was found in all the three depths in rhizosphere soils. Low to medium amount of available nitrogen was recorded in the soil profile of nonrhizosphere soils. Available Phosphorous was recorded high and it ranged between 64.22-71.35 kg ha-1 P2O5 in 0-20 cm soil depth and decreased significantly in the subsurface soils. Medium range of available potassium 185.56-232.68 kg ha-1 K2O was recorded in top soils and it was very low in 20-40 and 40-60 cm soil depth. Cations like exchangeable Ca and Mg were also found in low amount and did not show significant seasonal variation. From the results it can be concluded that the soils are poor to moderate in concentration and availability of major soil nutrients and also there is imbalance in their availability with soil depths and seasons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key message: Slash and burn practices affect tropical forests. Our results showed strong introgression between Inga ingoides and Inga edulis in the species contact area. Interspecific hybridization could be sought to improve yield and tolerance to flooding and further increase the economic potential of the poorly drained Amazonian soils and minimize deforestation. Context: Inga species are important components of tropical American forests, as well as a local food source. Little is known about the genetic structure of these species; in particular the amount of introgression among species remains unknown. Aims: We assessed the degree of genetic divergence and introgression among populations of I. ingoides (Rich.) Willd. and I. edulis Mart. (Fabaceae) from three Peruvian Amazon tributary rivers. Methods: Using microsatellite markers we determined the genetic structure of populations using an analysis of molecular variance and a Bayesian analysis of population structure in areas affected by seasonal river fluctuations and in 'terra firme' forests. Results: Overall genetic differentiation was weak. The degree of genetic variation was similar in the two species. A putatively strong introgression was detected between the two species and an intense gene flow was identified among populations. This indicates that an intense gene flow had happened in the past, leading also to a small differentiation among populations within species. Conclusion: Selection of natural hybrids or artificial hybridization between I. edulis and I. ingoides could be applied to improve legume size and yield in the later species, while maintaining tolerance to flooding. Improved I. ingoides could be used in multipurpose agroforestry on open areas along the rivers, instead of using the usual slash and burn practice to create inland open areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agroforestry is a traditional and ancient land use practice, having deliberate integration of trees with crop and livestock components. In India, agroforestry practices are prevalent in different agro-ecological zones and occupy sizeable areas. These practices have great potential for climate change mitigation through sequestration of atmospheric CO2. Carbon sequestration potential was studied in four districts of Gujarat (Anand, Dahod, Patan and Junagarh), for which field survey was conducted to collect primary data on existing agroforestry systems. The extent of agroforestry area in these districts was estimated by sub-pixel classifier using medium resolution remote sensing data (RS-2/LISS III). By sub-pixel classifier, the highest area under agroforestry was estimated in Dahod (12.48%) followed by Junagarh district (10.95%) with an average of 9.12%. Sapota (Manilkara zapota) based agroforestry was also mapped in Junagarh district, which occupied an area of 1.13%. An accuracy of 87.2% was found by sub-pixel classifier in delineation of sapota-based agroforestry in the district. Dynamic CO2FIX model has been used to estimate total carbon (biomass + soils) and net carbon sequestered in existing agroforestry systems. Net carbon sequestered over a simulated period of 30 years in Anand, Dahod, Patan and Junagarh districts was found to be 2.70, 6.26, 1.61 and 1.50 Mg C ha-1 respectively. Total carbon stock in all four districts for baseline and simulated period of 30 years was estimated to be 2.907 and 3.251 million tonnes respectively. Thus, agroforestry systems in Gujarat have significant potential in carbon storage and trapping atmospheric CO2 into biomass and soils. Hence, CO2FIX model in conjunction with remote sensing techniques can be successfully applied for estimating carbon sequestration potential of agroforestry systems in a district or a region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cutting dry deciduous forest (preserved site) for wood supply in semi-arid Brazil has led to invasion of a pioneer shrub vegetation called "Carrasco" (disturbed site), which inhibits the sprouting of native species. A land restoration project was undertaken in a cleared Carrasco area where a mixed plantation of native species and Eucalyptus spp. (experimental site) was established to preserve the forest and ensure wood supply for the local population. We considered phosphorus as a limiting soil nutrient to plant growth, and we addressed the roles of litter decomposition and microbial activity on phosphorus release in the disturbed, preserved and experimental sites. The phosphorus released from leaf litter was affected by the vegetation type, which favored specific soil microbial populations during decomposition. The Carrasco vegetation predominantly favored arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), as shown by root colonization in the litter bags; the Eucalyptus plants favored AMF and ectomycorrhizal fungi (EM), as well as phosphate solubilizing microorganisms (PSM), and the intercropping system favored AMF and PSM groups. In contrast, the preserved site favored the PSM population. High phosphatase activity was found in the preserved and experimental sites in contrast to the Carrasco soil. Principal component analysis showed that AMF root colonization and phosphatase activity were the main parameters influencing the increase in soil phosphorus. Based on the above results, rehabilitation appeared to be underway in the experimental site, since the samples were more similar to the preserved site than to the disturbed site. This effect was attributed to Eucalyptus camaldulensis that promote the establishment of all phosphorus cycle-related microorganisms (AMF, EM and PSF). E. camaldulensis associated with mycorrhizal fungi and PSM are recommended for inclusion in agroforestry systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since agriculture directly contributes to global anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, integrating trees into agricultural landscapes through agroforestry systems is a viable adaptive strategy for climate change mitigation. The objective of this study was to evaluate the carbon (C) sequestration and financial benefits of C sequestration according to Quebec's Cap-and-Trade System for Greenhouse Gas Emissions Allowances (C & T System) or the Système de plafonnement et d'échange de droits d'émission de gaz à effet de serre du Québec (SPEDE) program for two experimental 10-year-old tree-based intercropping (TBI) systems in southern Quebec, Canada. We estimated total C stored in the two TBI systems with hybrid poplar and hardwoods and adjacent non-TBI systems under agricultural production, considering soil, crop and crop roots, litterfall, tree and tree roots as C stocks. The C sequestration of the TBI and adjacent non-TBI systems were compared and the market value of the C payment was evaluated using the net present value (NPV) approach. The TBI systems had 33% to 36% more C storage than adjacent non-TBI systems. The financial benefits of C sequestration after 10 years of TBI practices amounted to of $2,259-$2,758 CAD ha 1 and $1,568-$1,913 CAD ha 1 for St. Edouard and St. Paulin sites, respectively. We conclude that valorizing the C sequestration of TBI systems could be an incentive to promote the establishment of TBI for the purpose of GHG mitigation in Quebec, Canada. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study sheds light in the relationship existing between agro-forest landscape conservation, local communities and the economic crisis by analyzing the recent evolution of a rural area (Thriasio plain, Greece), representative of recent processes of land re-colonization by young farmers. An original approach based on rural landmark mapping has been developed by integrating digitization from topographic maps and photo-interpretation on Google Earth imagery. The approach was applied to the location of open reservoirs used for crop irrigation in late-1970s, early-2000s and early-2010s with the support of ancillary data sources and field sampling. Our results indicate a progressive abandonment of the 153 water reservoirs active in the area in 1977 up to 2005 and a recovery of six of them since 2010. These reservoirs are used by young farmers recently settled in the area from central Athens as a consequence of the economic crisis. Original approaches are especially required in the assessment of rapidly evolving socio-environmental systems in areas where digital information and official data sources are lacking or poorly qualified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the past three decades, coffee cultivation has gained widespread attention for its crucial role in supporting local and global biodiversity. In this synthetic Overview, we present newly gathered data that summarize how global patterns in coffee distribution and shade vegetation have changed and discuss implications for biodiversity, ecosystem services, and livelihoods. Although overall cultivated coffee area has decreased by 8% since 1990, coffee production and agricultural intensification have increased in many places and shifted globally, with production expanding in Asia while contracting in Africa. Ecosystem services such as pollination, pest control, climate regulation, and nutrient sequestration are generally greater in shaded coffee farms, but many coffee-growing regions are removing shade trees from their management. Although it is clear that there are ecological and socioeconomic benefits associated with shaded coffee, we expose the many challenges and future research priorities needed to link sustainable coffee management with sustainable livelihoods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agroforestry has been suggested to produce an array of ecological and socio-economic benefits that not only reach their adopters, but society as a whole. In spite of strong evidence of the benefits of agroforestry, there is a lack of understanding of the public perceptions of those benefits, which prevents the development of benefit-based promotion strategies of agroforestry products. Thus, this study examines the awareness of these benefits among residents and explores whether perceptions vary across individuals with different socio-demographic characteristics. An on-line platform was used to survey three panels of residents from Missouri, Pennsylvania and Texas. Overall, respondents had a neutral perception of the importance of the ecological and socio-economic benefits that agroforestry farms provide to society when compared to farms employing conventional agricultural practices. These results stress the need to increase public awareness of agroforestry practices and their benefits to more strategically position their products among the final consumer. Gender, education level, and residence location were significantly associated with the perceived ecological benefits produced by agroforestry farms and to a lesser extent with the socio-economic benefits. Results also showed that females and young individuals have a greater awareness of several benefits produced by agroforestry farms. Critical marketing implications to stimulate the purchase of agroforestry products (e.g., berries, nuts) among specific groups of consumers are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cork oak grows endemically in a narrow region bordering the western Mediterranean, and especially in the Iberian Peninsula. The importance of cork agro-forestry systems lies in the fact that a natural and renewable raw material – cork – can be extracted sustainably without endangering the tree or affecting biodiversity. This paper describes an environmental analysis of the extraction of raw cork in cork oak forests in Catalonia, using data from five representative local forest exploitations. The evaluation was carried out using life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology, and all the forestry management required to obtain a tonne of raw cork was included. The aim of the study was to evaluate the environmental impacts – in terms of global warming, acidification, eutrophication, human toxicity, and so on – caused by cork extraction and determine the carbon dioxide balance of these forestry systems, with a tree lifespan of about 200 years. During the life cycle extraction of cork in Catalonia, 0.2 kg of CO2 eq. was emitted per kg of raw cork extracted. Moreover, cork cannot be extracted without the tree, which will be fixing carbon dioxide throughout its technological useful life (200 years), despite the fact that the bark is removed periodically: every 13–14 years. If the emission from extraction and the carbon contained in the material is discounted, the carbon dioxide balance indicates that 18 kg of CO2 are fixed per kg of raw cork extracted. Therefore, cork is a natural, renewable and local material that can replace other non-renewable materials, at local level, to reduce the environmental impacts of products, and particularly to reduce their carbon footprint. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This article examines the relation between discourse and value in the production of a carbon forestry offset project among indigenous smallholders in Costa Rica. By analyzing a pivotal cost-benefit calculation that changed the trajectory of the project, this article makes two principal claims. First, the intelligibility of the calculation is grounded in a discursive formation that is emergent from a history of development projects in the region, where particular ways of speaking about the relation between indigenous bodies and agriculture have allowed carbon's commodification to emerge as a desirable project. Second, the calculations resulted in quantified representations of space that were necessary for the offset to become useful within the framework of the Kyoto Protocol. In this case, the forestry offset's use value derived from quantified representations of agricultural space; a process that opened some forms of land use for receiving carbon while foreclosing on others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Rice paddies harbour a large variety of organisms including larvae of malaria mosquitoes. These paddies are challenging for mosquito control because their large size, slurry and vegetation make it difficult to effectively apply a control agent. Aquatain, a monomolecular surface film, can be considered a suitable mosquito control agent for such breeding habitats due to its physical properties. The properties allow Aquatain to self-spread over a water surface and affect multiple stages of the mosquito life cycle. Methodology/Principal Findings: A trial based on a pre-test/post-test control group design evaluated the potential of Aquatain as a mosquito control agent at Ahero rice irrigation scheme in Kenya. After Aquatain application at a dose of 2 ml/ m2 on rice paddies, early stage anopheline larvae were reduced by 36%, and late stage anopheline larvae by 16%. However, even at a lower dose of 1 ml/m2 there was a 93.2% reduction in emergence of anopheline adults and 69.5% reduction in emergence of culicine adults. No pupation was observed in treated buckets that were part of a field bio-assay carried out parallel to the trial. Aquatain application saved nearly 1.7 L of water in six days from a water surface of 0.2 m2 under field conditions. Aquatain had no negative effect on rice plants as well as on a variety of non-target organisms, except backswimmers. Conclusions/Significance: We demonstrated that Aquatain is an effective agent for the control of anopheline and culicine mosquitoes in irrigated rice paddies. The agent reduced densities of aquatic larval stages and, more importantly, strongly impacted the emergence of adult mosquitoes. Aquatain also reduced water loss due to evaporation. No negative impacts were found on either abundance of non-target organisms, or growth and development of rice plants. Aquatain, therefore, appears a suitable mosquito control tool for use in rice agro-ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. Although agricultural expansion is a primary threat to tropical biodiversity, experimental studies evaluating the conservation value of tropical agricultural habitats are scarce. In particular, little is known about the sensitivity of amphibians and reptiles to habitat disturbance in areas of very high diversity such as South-East Asia. 2. We used a two-step approach to determine the relationship between habitat complexity and conservation value of cacao agroforestry for herpetological diversity in Sulawesi (Indonesia). Indonesia is the third largest cacao-exporting country globally and forest conversion to cacao plantations is a major threat to its biodiversity. We first sampled 43 cacao plantations six times to determine the environmental variables that best explained herpetofaunal diversity patterns using a Bayesian model selection approach. Based on these results, we experimentally manipulated leaf litter thickness (LLT), number of branch piles (LOGS) and LLT + LOGS combinations in the cacao plots. The experimental data were analysed using Bayesian hierarchical regression. 3. The best supported correlative models incorporated LLT, LOGS, air temperature and the ratio between leaf litter and shrub cover, showing the importance of habitat heterogeneity and suggesting climate change sensitivity. The subsequent structural manipulation of these attributes changed amphibian and reptile species richness, and reptile abundance, but only addition of leaf litter did so in a biologically meaningful way, providing microhabitat resources. However, the main beneficiaries were common disturbance-tolerant reptiles. 4. Synthesis and applications. The different results from the correlative model and the independent manipulative experiments showed how important such a combined approach is to derive adequate conservation management recommendations. Increasing leaf litter in cacao agroforestry will work best if implemented on a landscape scale to incorporate sufficient environmental variation and species life histories. This will mainly enhance the richness and abundance of disturbance-tolerant species, which still may maintain ecosystem functions such as pest removal. Particularly for rare species, native forests remain critical for herpetological richness. The direct temperature sensitivity suggests that future climate change impacts may be severe for herpetological diversity in plantation habitats and, hence, demand further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Langcang (Upper-Mekong) watershed, degraded watershed ecosystems in upland areas threaten cultivation practices, water resources, and dam development downstream. Assessment of ecosystem services and the factors that threaten them is an important first step to support watershed management. This, however, requires detailed information that is often missing in mountainous regions. To overcome this, in this paper, we adopt a decision tree approach to assess protection, biodiversity, and production services in two mountainous watersheds (Fengqing and Xiaojie) of the Lancang River Basin. Decision tree rules were built on the basis of field surveys, available references, ecosystem maps derived from remote sensing, expert knowledge, basic topographic information, and community interviews. Decision tree results showed that forest cover and agro-forestry practices contribute greatly to improved ecosystem functioning in the Fengqing Catchment compared to the Xiaojie Catchment. The results were consistent with field observations. The decision tree method proved to be a suitable and flexible tool for the rapid assessment of watershed ecosystem services, for highlighting those areas that need more in-depth research, and for guiding watershed and ecosystem management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tropical moist forests in South-East Asia are heavily exploited by timber extraction and forest conversion into agroforestry systems. Twelve forest stands were selected to investigate fine root biomass, morphology, and growth along a gradient of increasing forest conversion from near-natural forest to cacao agroforestry systems in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. Fine root biomass decreased markedly with increasing forest disturbance. Fine root growth rate showed a weak dependence on forest disturbance, whereas fine root turnover (growth per standing fine root biomass) was higher in the more heavily disturbed stands. Specific root area was higher in the stands with large timber extraction and fine root N concentration was particularly high in the cacao agroforests. These two root morphological traits were positively related to fine root turnover. We conclude that the higher growth activity of fine roots in the moderately and heavily disturbed forests resulted from differences in fine root morphology and N concentration, hence partly compensating for the decrease in fine root biomass with disturbance. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]