Long-term effects of shade and input levels on coffee yields in the Pacific region of Nicaragua

Abstract

The suitability and profitability of coffee cultivation in Central America are at risk due to pest and disease outbreaks, price fluctuations and climate change. Proper shading is claimed to be one of the most promising practices to seek sustainability and better adapt coffee cultivation to climate change in marginal areas. This study recorded and compared coffee cherry yields over a ten-year period from shaded coffee (N-fixing-trees and timber trees) agroforestry systems under different management regimes (conventional vs. organic) in a suboptimal site. Significant differences in production were detected between conventional inputs vs. combination of organic inputs and shade types in some years of the evaluation period. Full-sun cultivation under intensive management was the most productive system for coffee yields, followed by shaded systems under timber trees. Interestingly, and regardless of management systems (intensive conventional or intensive organic) the worst combinations in terms of coffee yield were shaded systems under leguminous species (Inga laurina (Sw.) Willd. + Simarouba glauca DC.). Across all experimental plots, the timber species Simarouba glauca and Tabebuia rosea (Bertol.) DC. grew well, reaching a mean annual increment in diameter of 2.5-3.3 cm/year (age 12 years). Average gross revenues were higher in full-sun and timber-shaded agroforestry systems. Overall, intensive management regimes were the most expensive cultivation system to run but also the best in terms of coffee yield performance.

Costos del cultivo de árboles maderables en sistemas agroforestales de café en Costa Rica

“…El café siempre ha sido base fundamental y motor para el desarrollo económico, social y cultural de Costa Rica, que ha llegado a representar el 8% de la fuerza laboral costarricense. El asocio del cultivo del café con árboles maderables como el cedro (cedrela odorata) y el laurel (cordia alliodora), ha sido una práctica convencional de amplia utilización no solo en Costa Rica (Beer et al 1997, Salgado 2010, Castillo et al 2017, González-Rojas et al 2018a, Murillo 2016, Murillo y Badilla 2022, sino en países como Colombia, México, Nicaragua, Guatemala y Honduras (Salgado 2010, Jiménez 2012, López-Sánchez y Musalem 2007, Sánchez et al 2017, López-Sampson et al 2020. La caficultura ofrece, por tanto, un espacio prometedor para la producción sostenible de madera de alta calidad en toda las 8 regiones cafetaleras del país.…”

“…Es así como el asocio de árboles maderables como sombra en el cafetal podrían incrementar los servicios ambientales, como lo es en la biodiversidad y en la fijación de carbono, en concordancia con las políticas nacionales (NAMA) de acciones para mitigación de emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero (GEI) (Salgado 2010). Más relevante aún, para el productor es procurar más ingresos y estabilidad económica como ha sido reportado recientemente (González-Rojas et al 2018a, Calvé et al 2020, López-Sampson et al 2020, a partir del abastecimiento de materia prima para la generación de energía.…”

Shade Tree Species Effects on Soil Biogeochemistry and Coffee Bean Quality in Plantation Coffee Agroforestry

“…N-fixing shade trees, due to symbiosis with root-nodulating bacteria, can significantly influence the soil nutrient status due to their N-fixing capability and effects on soil pH (Sileshi et al 2020;Franklin et al 2019;Hedin et al 2009). Higher N content in litter favors microbial activity and diversity, which in turn increase N cycling (Braga et al 2019;Lopez-Sampson et al 2020). The provision of a sustainable N cycling in agroforestry systems is hence the result of these dynamics as it reduces N leaching (Karki et al 2021).…”