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Purpose In agroforestry systems, the root distributions and properties of the annual and perennial vegetation are poorly known, although they are recognized for fostering soil carbon (C) stocks through annual root-derived C inputs and by altering microbial activity. This study aimed to evaluate the potential contribution of roots from the understory vegetation strip (UVS) and the crop to top-and subsoil C stocks (0-100 cm) to a 3-year-old agroforestry system of the alley-cropping type. Methods Root biomass, chemical composition, functional traits and anatomical structure were assessed in parallel to a characterization of soil physicochemical