Intercropping arable crops in orchards is a sustainable land use for intensifying agricultural production, under the condition of plants’ complementarity in sharing resources. This study investigated the aspects of water use and yields in intercropped systems of walnut and crops. To assess possible temporal complementarity between crops and trees, a summer crop—buckwheat—and a winter crop—barley—were intercropped in walnut orchards. The land and water productivity were studied under two designs: in an older, denser orchard and a younger one, with wider tree spacing. The results showed a reduction in yields and water productivity (WP) of intercrops due to the competition with walnut trees, with the exception of buckwheat in the younger orchard, where this summer crop surprisingly achieved the highest yield and WP. Nevertheless, in the system with mature fruiting trees, intercropping with winter barley was 53% more productive per unit of land and 83% more water-productive than growing walnut and barley separately but also 48% more land-productive and 70% more water-productive than the walnut–buckwheat system. Our results indicate positive effects of trees on microclimates but also emphasize the importance of species selection and systems design on the overall productivity of intercropped systems.

The incorporation of trees on traditional agricultural land has the potential for providing beneficial conditions for understory crops by altering the microclimate. Under these assumptions, we conducted a study on maize productivity intercropped in a 14-year-old walnut orchard by measuring growth and yield parameters, and water and nutrient uptake. Overall, we found that walnut trees decreased maximum air temperature and increased air humidity, especially during hot summer months characterized by precipitation deficit. A 30% reduction in maize yield per total area was a result of significantly reduced plant density, which could be a walnut-specific effect due to juglone excretion. Productivity per plant increased as shown by a significantly higher harvest index and 1000 kernel weight. No meaningful differences were found in terms of maize grain nutrient productivity, nutrient recovery, or nutrient use efficiency. On the systems level, we observed an advantage of the walnut-maize system compared to its respective monoculture systems—land and water equivalent ratios showed that for gaining the same yields as in intercropped system, walnut and maize grown separately would need 32% more land and 31% more water. Our study implies there are some beneficial outcomes to growing maize with trees, although further research should focus on investigating walnut as an option, due to its possible allelopathic effects.

The study was conducted as open field trial, with irrigation, with the Clery strawberry variety. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of foliar application on berry and seaweed extract on the yield and quality of strawberry fruit (sugar, acid and anthocyanin content). The experiment was set up by random block system in 4 repetitions. The following treatments were applied to the strawberry crop: 1. control, 2. conventional NPK fertilization (10-52-10), 3. 30% reduced conventional NPK fertilization, 4. 30% reduced conventional fertilization + biostimulants. Due to arid growing conditions, NPK fertilizer was applied foliarly. Statistical analysis of the data showed significant differences between treatments in strawberry yield, and anthocyanins content. Compared to the control, the biostimulator had an effect on strawberry yield and total anthocyanin content, but not on the total soluble sugar and acid content of strawberry fruit.

Crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum L. convar. Inkara) seeds were imbibed with water solution of various pH values (4, 5, 6 and 7) at various ambiental temperatures (10, 15 and 22 °C) with the aim to reveal treatments effects on seed (imbibition, germination energy, germination and electric conductivity) and seedling traits (stem, root and total length). Seeds were imbibed in a laboratory by the standard method for seed germination. When averaged over the inquired pH values, ambient temperature affected all the investigated traits except stem length. The highest seed imbibition (58.8%) and electric conductivity (82 μS/cm per gram) were achieved at 22 °C. The highest values for germination energy (70%), germination (68%), root length (31 mm) and total seedling length (77 mm) were achieved at 10 °C. When averaged over the inquired ambiental temperatures, the highest germination energy (71%), germination (73%), root length (34 mm) and total seedling length (78 mm) were achieved at pH 4.

Extreme weather conditions and greenhouse gas emissions cause increased pressure on modern agriculture. To ensure long-term resilience, agricultural production requires sustainable and integrated production systems. Agroforestry offers an effective approach by increasing soil organic carbon, improving carbon sequestration, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. When combined with other sustainable practices, these systems can further strengthen the resilience and sustainability of agriculture. However, despite these advantages, agroforestry systems are not without challenges, as they require higher initial investments, greater knowledge and labor input, and longer periods to achieve economic efficiency. This paper presents data on the effects of agroforestry systems on different aspects of agricultural production, highlighting their opportunities and limitations.

Istraživanje je provedeno u laboratorijskim uvjetima naklijavanjem kultivara sjemena bijele djeteline (Trifolium repens L.) u klima komori uz prethodno tretiranje sjemena magnetskim poljem. Predtretman sjemena stacioniranim magnetskim poljem od 250 m...