Assessment of Different Agroforestry Management Practices for Energy Production in Relation to Key Soil Properties

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

The transition toward a circular, low-carbon bioeconomy requires sustainable land management strategies that can supply biomass while preserving soil health. This study evaluates the multidimensional environmental impacts of varying agricultural and forestry management intensities on soil physical, chemical, and biological properties. Conducted at the CREA-IT experimental fields in Monterotondo, Italy, the research compared five management systems: Eucalyptus short rotation coppice (SRF), Poplar SRF, Poplar-safflower agroforestry, Safflower monoculture, and conventional Wheat cultivation. Soil analyses of the upper 10 cm included mechanical parameters (compaction, bulk density), chemical traits (organic matter, pH), and biological integrity assessed via the Soil Biological Quality Index (QBS-ar). Results indicate that tree-integrated systems significantly enhance soil quality compared to intensive agriculture. Poplar and Eucalyptus SRF demonstrated the highest soil organic matter content (approximately 8%), effectively countering the carbon depletion typical of conventional wheat fields. Furthermore, the Poplar-safflower agroforestry system exhibited lower soil compaction than both agricultural and forestry monocultures and supported a more highly structured and diverse microarthropod community, as evidenced by the QBS-ar index. The findings demonstrate that agroforestry and SRF are viable strategies for reconciling bioenergy biomass production with soil conservation, offering measurable edaphic indicators.