Five years of grassland yield and quality assessment in a temperate short-rotation alley cropping agroforestry system

The biomass yield and the crude protein (CP) content of temperate agroforestry-grassland were compared with that of a treeless control between 2017 and 2021. The single factor cropping system did not determine differences in yield nor CP content, while significant interactions with other studied factors occurred. At 1 m from the field edge, grassland yield was significantly lower in both the agroforestry system and the treeless control than at the other distances studied (4, 7, and 24 m). Overall, grassland yields were similar in agroforestry and control. The CP results were inconclusive. The highest, although not significant, CP levels were found in the agroforestry variant 1 m distance from the tree strip. Our study shows that due to edge effects on biomass yields, which may also occur in the treeless control, sampling of identical distances in agroforestry and control are necessary.