Agroforestry is a working-tree farming system that integrates crops or livestock or both with trees and shrubs. A well designed agroforestry system results in biological interactions that provide multiple benefits, including diversified income sources, increased biological production, better water quality, and improved habitat for both humans and wildlife. However, sediment and nutrient loading caused by the forest to conversion of agricultural lands have led to the deterioration in near water ecosystem.
This study was carried out to examine the effects of agroforest culture field and open field culture field on water quality and runoff loading of nutrient. The runoff loading of Tot-N and Tot-P in agroforest culture field were similar to open field culture field. The runoff loading of total suspended solids in agroforest culture field and open field culture field were 2,721±196kg/10a and 420±29kg/10a in 2011 and 696±59kg/10a and 463±36kg/10a in 2012, respectively. Our investigation showed that the runoff loading of total suspended solids from agroforest culture field decreased when soil cover and soil stabilization increased. Therefore, protect facility of soil erosion for early alteration of agricultural lands are needed to minimize the soil erosion from agroforest culture field.
Fate of fenarimol, chlorothalinol, and ethoprophos sprayed to control disease and pest was studied in a agroforest culture field of Jangsu-gun, Jeollabuk-do, Republic of Korea. Concentrations of fenarimol, chlorothalinol, and ethoprophos in runoff water ranged mostly to 0.2mg/L at the first rainfall-runoff event. And then was rapidly decreased than detection limit at 60 days after the application. The fenarimol and chlorothalonil residue in soil was dissipated to below detection limit at 30 days after the application. But ethoprophos was decreased to below detection limit at 135 days after the application. The concentrations of experimental pesticides were highly detected in agroforest culture field than in open culture field. It is assumed that experimental pesticides were strongly adsorbed by organic matter such as fulvic acid and humic acid.