The domain of Restinclières is a public estate, owned by the “Conseil Départemental de l’Hérault”. The land is rented to two farmers, one who produces cereals, the other one vine. The owner manages the trees. Research focuses on the impact of trees on the crop production and on the sustainability and resilience of agroforestry systems.
Farming system
Silvoarable
Size
50
ha
Temperature
14.7º
C
MAT*
762.7
mm
MAP**
Treatments
-
Components
Trees
Crops
Design
System comparison trial
* MAT: Medium Average Temperature
** MAP: Medium Average Precipitation
Aim
Restinclières was the first ever silvoarable experiment in France with control treatments (monocropping, forestry) that allow a true assessment of the feasability and productivity of alley-cropping agroforestry.
I am proud of our experiment because it is a showcase of agroforestry for numerous researchers, students, farmers, advisors and reporters” “If we could establish the experiment again, we would widen the alleys and choose a better location for the forestry controls by taking into account the depth of soil and water table.”
Lydie Dufour INRAE
Key findings
With deciduous walnut trees, winter crop yield is not much impacted until the ratio between the height of trees and the width of the alley reaches 0.8.
Trees protect vineyard from frost or severe heat.
Tree roots are deeper in our agroforestry fields than in forestry control.
Discover our eight agroforestry and mixed farming trial sites
Dufour L., Dupraz C., Talbot G., Metay A., 2013.- Assessing light competition for cereal production in temperate agroforestry systems using experimentation and crop modeling. J. Agr. Crop Sci.199 (3) :157-227 Andrianarisoa K.S., Dufour L., Bienaime S. Zeller B., Dupraz C., 2016.- The introduction of hybrid walnut trees (Juglans nigra x regia cv. NG23) into cropland reduces soil mineral N content in autumn in southern France. Agroforest. Syst.90 (2) :193-205. Mahieu S., Metay A., Brunel B., Dufour L., 2016.- Nitrogen fluxes in chickpea grown in Mediterranean agroforestry systems. Agroforest. Syst. 90 (2) :313-324. Querné A., Battie-Laclau P., Dupraz C., Dufour L., Wery J., 2017.- Effect of walnut trees on biological fixation and yield of alfalfa in a Mediterranean agroforestry system. Eur. J. Agro. 84 :35-46. Mohamed A., Stokes A, Mao Z., Jourdan C., Sabatier S., Pailler F., Fourtier S., Dufour L., Monnier Y., 2017.- Linking above- and belowground phenology of hybrid walnut growing along a climatic gradient in temperate agroforestry systems. Plant and Soil. 432 (1-2):122-135. Guillot E., Hinsinger P., Dufour L., Roy J., Bertrand I.,∗Agroforestry induces spatial heterogenety in soil microbiel response to drought and heat stresses. Soil Biol. & Biochem. 129:122-135. Dufour L., Gosme M., Le Bec J., Dupraz C., 2020. Does pollarding trees improve the crop yield in a mature agroforestry system? J. Agro. Crop Sci. 206(5) :640-649.
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Privacy policyOk
