Browsing by Author "Beaton, A."

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    Poplar (Populus spp) growth and crop yields in a silvoarable experiment at three lowland sites in England
    (Springer Science Business Media, 2004-01-01T00:00:00Z) Burgess, Paul J.; Incoll, L. D.; Corry, D. T.; Beaton, A.; Hart, B. J.
    In early 1992, a silvoarable experiment, comprising four poplar (Populus spp.) hybrids (at a spacing of 10 m x 6.4 m) and four arable treatments, was established at three contrasting lowland sites in England. By the end of 1998, seven years after planting, the height of the poplar hybrid Beaupré (11.9 m) was greater than those of the hybrids Gibecq, Robusta and Trichobel (8.9-9.8 m). The trees at the most exposed site had the shortest height (9.2 m) and the greatest diameter at breast height (173 mm). Tree growth was also affected by the arable treatments. The height (9.5 m) and diameter (143 mm) of the trees bordered on both sides by a continuous rotation of arable crops were 89% and 79%, respectively, of those bordered on both sides by a regularly cultivated fallow. This result could be explained by competition for water. Across the three sites, in the presence of the trees the yield per unit cropped area, relative to that in the control areas, was an average of 4% less in the first three years and an average of 10% less between years four and six. However the specific responses were dependent on the arable crop. The experiment also included an alternately- cropped arable treatment, where the crop was alternated with a one-year bare fallow. The benefits of a preceding fallow, rather than a cereal crop, for yield were greatest for wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) and least for field beans (Vicia faba L.), peas (Pisum sativum L.) and mustard (Brassica alba L.)
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    Silvoarable agroforestry
    (The Royal Scottish Forestry Society, 1999-01-01) Beaton, A.; Incoll, L. D.; Burgess, Paul J.
    Introduction: A silvoarable system of land management implies the cultivation of trees and arable crops on the same area of land, a system practised quite commonly in southern Europe and in the tropics. The system comprises two components: tree rows, generally one tree wide, and arable alleys, alternating across the field. The first major development of silvoarable practice in the UK took place during the 1960s and 1970s when Bryant & May established extensive poplar plantations on lowland farmland in southern England to supply their own market for match veneer timber (Beaton, 1987). Since the demise of the Bryant Sr May market for match timber in 1978, interest in the potential for silvoarable systems lay dormant until the advent of food crop surpluses in the 1980s.
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    The Impact of Silvoarable Agroforestry with Poplar on Farm Profitability and Biological Diversity
    (Cranfield University, 2023-07) Burgess, Paul J.; Incoll, L.D.; Hart, B.J.; Beaton, A.; Piper, R.W.; Seymour, Ian Leslie; Reynolds, F.H.; Wright, C.; Pilbeam, D.J.; Grave, A.R.
    Silvoarable agroforestry (the intercropping of trees and arable crops) can diversify farm incomes, increasing tree planting and improve farm biodiversity. In 1992 a silvoarable experiment, comprising three replicate blocks of four poplar (Populus spp.) hybrids (at a spacing of 10 m x 6.4 m) and three arable treatments, was established by Cranfield University in Bedfordshire, Leeds University in West Yorkshire, and the Royal Agricultural University in Gloucestershire. The attached report describes the results from the experiment for the four-year period from April 1999 to April 2003. It covers the effects on tree growth, crop yields, economics, understorey vegetation, and the number and diversity of ground invertebrates.
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    UK Silvoarable Network data
    (Cranfield University, 2025-03-11) Burgess, Paul J.; Pilbeam, D.; Hart, B.J.; Beaton, A.; Seymour, Ian Leslie; Corry, D.; Evans, R.J.; Incoll, L.D.
    Silvoarable agroforestry (the intercropping of trees and arable crops) can diversify farm incomes, increasing tree planting and improve farm biodiversity. In 1992 a silvoarable experiment, comprising three replicate blocks of four poplar (Populus spp.) hybrids (at a spacing of 10 m x 6.4 m) and three arable treatments, was established by Cranfield University in Bedfordshire, Leeds University in West Yorkshire, and the Royal Agricultural University in Gloucestershire. [The associated report describes the results from the experiment for the four-year period from April 1999 to April 2003. It covers the effects on tree growth, crop yields, economics, understorey vegetation, and the number and diversity of ground invertebrates.]