What is alley Cropping? - correct answer ✔•Planting rows of trees at wide
spacings with a "companion" crop in the alleyways between the rows
What are examples of alley cropping? - correct answer ✔•Common
examples in the U.S. are alleyways of corn, soybeans, wheat, or hay planted
between rows of walnuts or pecan
Why is alley cropping favored? - correct answer ✔•Such tree species are
favored due to the prospect of nut production combined with eventual harvest
of high quality lumber or veneer logs
What are the advantages of alley cropping? - correct answer ✔•Improved
economic stability (though it may be long-term)
Increased cash flow
Improved plant and animal diversity
Sustainable agricultural systems
Improved aesthetics
Protection for row crops
,What are the disadvantages of alley cropping? - correct answer ✔•Economic
return on trees can be a long time coming in some cases (e.g. black walnut for
veneer logs)
•Can lower total annual yield of alley crops due to reduction in planting area
•Often requires a higher "capital" investment
•Requires greater botanical and silvical knowledge
What are desirable tree characteristics for alley cropping? - correct answer
✔•Potential to produce high-value product (e.g. wood, fruit, nuts, chemicals
combined with an accessible local market)
•Relatively fast growing
•Adaptable to site and soil conditions
•Appropriate shade for the companion crops (example - black walnut and
grain crops)
•Minimal surface roots (lower competition with alleyway crops)
What are suitable companion crops for alley cropping? - correct answer
✔•Cereal crops (corn, soybeans, wheat, barley, oats, potatoes, peas, beans)
•Forage crops (fescue, orchard grass, desmodium, bluegrass, ryegrass,
brome, timothy, clover, alfalfa)
•Specialty crops (landscape plants, dogwood, redbud, Christmas trees, small
fruit trees)
•Biomass crops (poplars, willows, silver maple, birches) (switchgrass and
other herbaceous)
Is alley cropping complex or simple? - correct answer ✔Can be both simple
and complex
What is silvopasture? - correct answer ✔•Intentional combination of trees,
forage and livestock managed as a single integrated practice
, •Similar to alley cropping, silvopasture is aimed at producing a high value
timber component while maintaining cash flow from grazing livestock
•Heavy emphasis on sustainability
What is the goal of silvopasture? - correct answer ✔•Goal is often to
maximize short-term/long-term economic gain using a combination of forage
grazing and trees (and their interactions)
What are the advantages of silvopasture? - correct answer ✔•Improved
economic stability (though it may be long-term)
Increased cash flow
Improved plant and animal diversity
Sustainable agricultural systems
Improved aesthetics
Protection and shelter for livestock
What are the disadvantages of silvopastures? - correct answer ✔•Economic
return on trees can be a long time coming in some cases (e.g. black walnut for
veneer logs)
•Often requires a higher "capital" investment
•Requires greater botanical and silvical knowledge
•Easy to damage the trees if grazing is not controlled!
Desirable tree characteristics for silvopasture? - correct answer ✔•Potential
to produce high-value product (e.g. wood, fruit, nuts, chemicals combined with
an accessible local market)
•Relatively fast growing
•Adaptable to site and soil conditions (drought resistant)
•Deep rooted (oaks are particularly good in this aspect)
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