Production of bioenergy on small farms: a two-year agroforestry experiment using Eucalyptus urophylla intercropped with rice and beans in Minas Gerais, Brazil

摘要

Agroforestry systems using Eucalyptus for biomass production are important alternatives for small farms in the southeast of Brazil because they integrate timber and food production while reducing the environmental impact of large plantations. In this article, I studied the intercropping of Eucalyptus urophylla with rice and beans for two years to compare yields using intercropping versus monocultures. During the first year, in both seasons (dry and rainy), no differences were found in the productivity between the intercropped and monoculture systems of E. urophylla, rice and beans. In the second year, E. urophylla in monoculture had lower productivity compared to E. urophylla intercropped with agricultural crops. On the other hand, both agriculture crops showed a reduction in the productivity in the intercropping with E. urophylla when compared to monoculture. At least in the first two years, forest biomass production was higher for intercropping systems of E. urophylla with beans and rice compared to monocultural systems.