Agriculture Reference
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Figure 7.10
Weed biomass at the termination ofwet season and dry season
experiments in which coffee was grown without shade trees (unshaded),in the
shade of
Inga
spp.(monogeneric shade),or in the shade of
Inga, Citrus,
and
Musa
spp.(polygeneric shade).The experiments were conducted in Veracruz,Mexico.
(Adapted from Nestel & Altieri,1992.)
noted for tree and shrub species used in alley cropping, mulches from shade
tree species associated with coffee vary greatly in their resistance to decompo-
sition and ability to suppress weeds. Rivas, Staver & Blanco (1993) found, for
example, that leaf mulches of
Inga paterna
,
Simarouba glauca
, and
Clusia rosea
decomposed four times more slowly in shaded coffee than did a
Gliricidia
sepium
mulch. Mulches of
I. paterna
,
S. glauca
, and
C. rosea
suppressed weed
establishment up to two months after application.
Given the spatial variability that characterizes weeds, shade levels, and
litter deposition, Staver, Bradshaw & Somarriba (1993) proposed that coffee
growers should visualize a mosaic of different patches in their orchards. A
well-managed orchard floor would have patches of naturally occurring
ground-cover weed species, patches of leaf litter and pruned leaf mulch, and
areas under coffee plants with minimal living ground cover. Partial shade,
fluctuating throughout the year with pruning regimes, would moderate
coffee physiological rates as well as limit weed growth.This approach could be
applied to other tree crops adapted to production in similar light conditions,
such as cacao.
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