Effect of Normal, Double and Densified Spacing on Soil Chemistry and Productivity of an Agroforestry System

Abstract

ABSTRACT The agroforestry systems have been recommended as a sustainable and economic alternative of doing agriculture, combining forest-based ecological aspects with the benefits of agriculture. Due to its versatility, these systems have been successfully used in numerous environmental and social situations. More recently, the agroforestry systems with vegetables have attracted interest due to its quickness in production and economical return. Thus, it was compared cultivation spacings (normal, double, and densified) of an agroforestry system with vegetables in its initial implantation phase, as to verify the evolution of chemical attributes in the soil, the production of cultivated species and the economic-financial indicators. For that, it was made a chemical and physical analysis of the soil before the implantation of the experiment, 30 and 90 days after the cultivation. The production and economic-financial indicators were also evaluated. All the treatments maintained the level of mineral nutrition in the soil because they did not differ in relation to the initial period of the agroforestry system implantation. The production of okra was the one that contributed more to the total value of revenue, in the three treatments. Values of Net Present Value and relation of cost-benefit for the treatments, the highest value was observed for densified spacing. Therefore, these three treatments were viable, from the economic-financial aspect, for the use in the initial phase of the implantation, being able to provide monthly income to the farmer.