Summary
This field study across seven Mediterranean farms in inland Portugal examined how agricultural intensification and crop choice affect soil health in tree-based systems. The research found that intensive irrigated management increased bacterial richness but decreased fungal diversity and overall soil multifunctionality compared to traditional rainfed practices, with traditional systems showing superior functional recovery after summer stress. The findings suggest that sustainable-oriented management practices, including organic intensification and mitigation strategies within irrigated systems, can buffer ecological decline in Mediterranean agroecosystems.
Regional applicability
Whilst this study was conducted in Portugal, its findings on Mediterranean agroforestry systems have potential relevance to similar tree-crop and silvopastoral systems in southern United Kingdom contexts, though direct transferability would be limited by climate and soil differences. The emphasis on balancing management intensity with soil microbiome health may inform UK policy discussions around agroforestry adoption and sustainable intensification.
Key measures
Soil microbiome composition (16S rRNA gene and ITS metabarcoding), soil multifunctionality (enzyme activities and selected soil chemical indicators), bacterial richness, fungal diversity, seasonal functional dynamics
Outcomes reported
The study assessed how management intensity (rainfed vs irrigated) and crop type (olive, almond, montado) shape soil microbial communities and multifunctionality measured by enzyme activities and chemical indicators across seasonal sampling over one year. Results demonstrated that intensification increased bacterial richness but reduced fungal diversity and overall soil multifunctionality.
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