Resource competition in contour hedgerow intercropping systems involving different shrub species with mature and young tea on sloping highlands in Sri Lanka

Tea (Camellia sinensis) in Sri Lanka is grown predominantly on sloping highlands. Incorporating trees as hedgerows along contours is aimed at reducing erosion and improving soil fertility through addition of prunings as mulch. However, there could be significant competition for essential growth resources between the hedgerows and tea. The primary objective of this study was to determine the influence of six hedgerow species (Calliandra calothyrsus, Senna [Cassia] spectabilis, Eupatorium inulifolium, Flemingia congesta, Gliricidia sepium and Tithonia diversifolia) on mature (6-year-old) and young (6-month-old) tea. This study had three on-farm, long-term (from Nov 1998 to Dec 2002) field experiments. Experiment 1 had 12 treatment combinations with the six shrub species and two mulching treatments (i.e. hedgerow prunings added to the tea plot as a mulch, and unmulched) on mature tea plus a sole tea crop as control. The same was repeated on young tea in Experiment 2 to determine whether resource competition on young tea was greater than that on mature tea. Experiment 3 examined the effects of removing tree root competition on tea by cutting a 1-m deep trench between hedgerows and tea.In all experiments, total tea yields of hedgerow intercrops, cumulated over the 50-month experimental period, were significantly lower (by 3–50%) than sole tea crops, thus indicating significant resource competition except in the case of mulched hedgerow systems involving Eupatorium and mature tea (18% yield increase). Removal of below-ground competition significantly increased tea yields by 11–19%. Addition of hedgerow prunings as a mulch significantly increased yields of both mature and young tea by 13–21%. Tea yields of hedgerow systems with Calliandra, Flemingia and Eupatorium showed greater yield reductions in young tea than in mature tea, but the opposite was shown with other hedgerow species. There was a significant negative linear relationship between tea yield and pruned biomass of hedgerows. Tea yields of all experiments showed significant negative correlations with several hedgerow characters, which are indicators of their competitive ability. These included hedgerow root density, canopy lateral spread, height and cross-section. In a majority of hedgerow systems, the available phosphorus content of topsoil (0–20 cm depth) was up to 51% lower compared to sole crops. It is concluded that incorporation of contour hedgerows in to an existing tea crop could result in significant resource competition with tea and thereby cause tea yield to decrease. However, there is scope for selection of hedgerow species that minimize competition through spatial and temporal complementarity with tea in resource capture.