Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Tree effects on forage growth and soil water in an Appalachian silvopasture

Agroforestry Systems volume 83, pages 189–200 (2011)Cite this article

Abstract

Silvopastures may have the potential to increase forage yields beneath trees compared to open pasture at some sites. This has been attributed to a combination of factors including improved water use efficiency by shaded grass and increased water availability through hydraulic lift by trees. The objectives of this research were to determine if silvopastures changed forage mass production and available soil water, and to determine how these two factors were related. Forage mass and soil water were sampled at 1.0, 2.0, and 3.6 m from the tree stem, or plot center under honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos L.), black walnut (Juglans nigra L.) and shade cloth in 2006 and 2007. Soil water was measured in the top 10 cm of soil using a capacitance probe, and at 30-cm intervals, from 45 to 105 cm, using a neutron probe. Forage was collected to determine dry mass and annual yield. In 2006, forage mass was greater under black walnuts and honey locusts than under 70% shade cloth. In 2007, with a 50% shade cloth, forage growth was similar in all treatments. In both 2006 and 2007, soil moisture in the top 10 cm was higher under shade cloth compared to honey locust or black walnut trees. Similarities in forage mass between treatments in 2007 indicate that the differences in soil water were not biologically significant for forage growth. Lower forage mass under the 70% shade cloth in 2006 was due to suppressed growth from intense shading. The major implication for pasture managers is that trees in these pastures had no negative effect on soil water availability and forage growth.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

USD 39.95

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8

References

  • Allard G, Nelson CJ, Pallardy SG (1991) Shade effects on growth of tall fescue: I. Leaf anatomy and dry matter partitioning. Crop Sci 31:163–167

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bauerle TL, Richards JH, Smart DR, Eissenstat DM (2008) Importance of internal hydraulic redistribution for prolonging the lifespan of roots in dry soil. Plant Cell Environ 31:177–186

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Belesky DP (2005) Growth of Dactylis glomerata along a light gradient in the central Appalachian region of the eastern USA: I. Dry matter production and partitioning. Agrofor Syst 65:81–90

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Buergler AL, Fike JH, Burger JA, Feldhake CR, McKenna JA, Teutsch CD (2005) Botanical composition and forage production in an emulated silvopasture. Agron J 97:1141–1147

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burner DM (2003) Influence of alley crop environment on orchardgrass and tall fescue herbage. Agron J 95:1163–1171

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Campbell CS (2006) Application note: response of ECH2O soil moisture sensors to temperature variation. Decagon Devices, Inc, Pullman

    Google Scholar 

  • Clason TR (1999) Silvopastoral practices sustain timber and forage production in commercial loblolly pine plantations of northwest Louisiana, USA. Agrofor Syst 44:293–303

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Corak SJ, Blevins DG, Pallardy SG (1987) Water transfer in an alfalfa/maize association: survival of maize during drought. Plant Physiol 84:582–586

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cregger HW, Hudson HC (1985) Soil survey of Montgomery County Virginia. USDA: Soil Conservation Service, Richmond

    Google Scholar 

  • Cruz P (1997) Effect of shade on the growth and mineral nutrition of a C4 perennial grass under field conditions. Plant Soil 188:227–237

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dawson TE (1993) Hydraulic lift and water use by plants: implications for water balance, performance and plant-plant interactions. Oecologia 95:565–574

    Google Scholar 

  • Espeleta JF, West JB, Donovan LA (2004) Species-specific patterns of hydraulic lift in co-occuring adult trees and grasses in a sandhill community. Oecologia 138:341–349

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Feldhake CM (2002) Forage frost protection potential of conifer silvopastures. Agric For Meteorol 112:123–130

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fernández ME, Gyenge J, Licata J, Schlichter T, Bond BJ (2008) Belowground interactions for water between trees and grasses in a temperate semiarid agroforestry system. Agrofor Syst 74:185–197

    Google Scholar 

  • Garrett HE, Kerley MS, Ladyman KP, Walter WD, Godsey LD, Van Sambeek JW, Brauer DK (2004) Hardwood silvopasture management in North America. Agrofor Syst 61:21–33

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Green S, Clothier B (1999) The root zone dynamics of water uptake by a mature apple tree. Plant Soil 206:61–77

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hirota I, Sakuratani T, Sato T, Higuchi H, Nawata E (2004) A split-root apparatus for examining the effects of hydraulic lift by trees on the water status of neighbouring crops. Agrofor Syst 60:181–187

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ishikawa CM, Bledsoe CS (2000) Seasonal and diurnal patterns of soil water potential in the rhizosphere of blue oaks: evidence for hydraulic lift. Oecologia 125:459–465

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jose S, Gillespie AR, Pallardy SG (2004) Interspecific interactions in temperate agroforestry. Agrofor Syst 61:237–255

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kallenbach RL, Kerley MS, Bishop-Hurley GJ (2006) Cumulative forage production, forage quality and livestock performance from an annual ryegrass and cereal rye mixture in a pine-walnut silvopasture. Agrofor Syst 66:43–53

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kohli A, Saini BC (2003) Microclimate modification and response of wheat planted under trees in a fan design in northern India. Agrofor Syst 58:109–118

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leffler AJ, Peek SM, Ryel RJ, Ivans CY, Caldwell MM (2005) Hydralic redistribution through the root systems of senesced plants. Ecology 86:633–642

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lehmann L, Peter I, Steglich C, Gebauer G, Huwe B, Zech W (1998) Below-ground interactions in dryland agroforestry. For Ecol Manage 111:157–169

    Google Scholar 

  • Ludwig F, Dawson T, Kroon H, Berendase F, Prins HHT (2003) Hydraulic lift in Acacia tortilis trees on an East African savanna. Oecologia 134:293–300

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Peñuelas J, Filella I (2003) Deuterium labeling of roots provide evidence of deep water access and hydraulic lift by Pinus nigra in a Mediterranean forest of NE Spain. Environ Exp Bot 49:2001–2008

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weltzin JF, McPherson GR (1997) Spatial and temporal soil moisture resource partitioning by trees and grasses in a temperate savanna, Arizona, USA. Oecologia 112:156–164

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilson JR (1996) Shade-stimulated growth and nitrogen uptake by pasture grasses in a subtropical environment. Aust J Agric Resour 47:1075–1093

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wilson SD (1998) Competition between grasses and woody plants. In: Cheplick GP (ed) Population biology of grasses. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 231–254

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Yoder CK, Nowak RS (1999) Hydraulic lift among native plant species in the Mojave Desert. Plant Soil 215:93–102

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zou CB, Barnes PW, Archer S, McMurtry CR (2005) Soil moisture redistribution as a mechanism of facilitation in savanna tree-shrub clusters. Oecologia 145:32–40

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 601 Falconbridge Drive, Joppa, MD, 21085, USA

    S. A. DeBruyne

  2. USDA-Agricultural Research Service, 1224 Airport Rd., Beaver, WV, 25813-9423, USA

    C. M. Feldhake

  3. Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation (0324), Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 228 Cheatham Hall, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA

    J. A. Burger

  4. Department of Crop and Soil Environmental Science, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 365 Smyth Hall, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA

    J. H. Fike

Authors
  1. S. A. DeBruyne
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. C. M. Feldhake
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. J. A. Burger
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. J. H. Fike
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to J. A. Burger.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

DeBruyne, S.A., Feldhake, C.M., Burger, J.A. et al. Tree effects on forage growth and soil water in an Appalachian silvopasture. Agroforest Syst 83, 189–200 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-011-9376-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-011-9376-5

Keywords

search

Navigation