Mixed agroforestry systems, in which tree crops, perennial plants, and annuals are grown together as plant allies, provide many benefits over conventional monocrop systems. These include improved soil health and biodiversity, as well as increased resilience to climate change and resistance to some pest pressures. That’s why they have been used in many different traditional agriculture systems, including those of the Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Island peoples.
Now, a new generation of growers and researchers is exploring these systems. Find out more when Maxwell Steinbock Bendes, grad student in the Dept. of Tropical Plant and Soil Sciences, defends his thesis, “Impacts of Root Competition on Growth of Woody Plants in Mixed Agroforestry Systems” via Zoom on Wednesday, August 5, at 9:00 a.m.
Max’s committee is Noa Lincoln, chair; Jonathan Deenik; and Travis Idol