By understanding the function of each species and the niche it occupies within the natural succession processes, humans can achieve or even duplicate what nature, originally does without the intervention of man.

In order to make the best of natural succession the following aspects must be taken into account:

Density of plantations
In the case of pioneers and short life secondary species, plant poly-cultures spacing them as if they were single crops. Increase the density at which other tree or shrub-like species are planted 5, 10 or 20 times.

• From the beginning include species from all the consortiums that make up a system, i.e. pioneers, secondary, transition and primary species.
• Plant as many species as possible in order to make use of all the niches the ecosystem at a given site can offer.
• Anticipate and analyse the succession of the different consortiums (from pioneer to primary) of a system in a given period of time. Likewise, the stratification of the species of a consortium must be taken into account. This way, species do not compete with each other, quite on the contrary, they maximise each other's potential - species complement each other and species from previous consortiums help raise the ones that follow.

Occupy all niches
Nature occupies all niches we do not occupy with our crops. These species help optimise the living conditions of the area. Under natural conditions, normally there would be no areas where the soil is exposed. If there is an unbalance, gramineae and other herbs that occupy barren spots. We intervene, weeding to control these weeds and, for this reason, we are not able to improve the conditions in the area where we intervene; on the contrary, the soil is even more deteriorated.

If all niches were occupied with suitable species, then nature would no longer have to help with the proliferation of grasses and other weeds. Consequently, weeding practices would no longer be needed.

When weeds appear in our fields it means that we are not making good use of space and that we have not filled all the niches offered by the system.

Selective weeding
Instead of weeding indiscriminately, young plants should be left. Weeding should be selective; it should aim at recycling plants, cutting only the grasses and herbs that are ready to flower.

Accelerate the carbon flow by incorporating organic matter into the soil
The productivity of a system increases based on the flow of carbon. The greater this transformation flow becomes, the more fertile and capable to support life a soil is. The more it recycles the more it grows and the more it grows the more it can recycle.

By pruning trees and ensuring a selective weeding of all mature plants a large mass of organic matter can be recycled and reincorporated into the system.

Stratification, adequate consortiums and synchronization of the system
When we establish an agro-ecosystem, for example with cocoa as our main crop, it's important that we synchronise in the first place all species in the system with the growth rhythm of cocoa. When the cocoa flowers later on, these same plants must be again synchronized with the flowering and maturation rhythm of the cocoa.

When growing naturally, the chocolate tree occupies a low or medium low stratum. Above it grow many trees from the medium high stratum and the emerging trees that outstand in the forest. Before the chocolate tree begins to flower, the majority of trees from the high stratum and the emerging trees loose their leaves. The increase in light induces (stimulates) the flowering of the chocolate tree. Likewise, the sprouting of new leaves will later on stimulate the growth of the chocolate tree and the entire system acquires very strong dynamics.

In our ecosystems we should try to duplicate this same phenomena, planting trees of the high stratum that loose their leaves during the dry season. Those who do not, like the Ingas ssp., should be strongly pruned, removing up to 80% of the branches (keeping the main structure of the tree) at the same time when the trees from the higher stratum loose their leaves. That way the system is siynchronized so that the chocolate tree has the optimum condition it needs to produce. At the same time, the most is made of the other species and their incredible capacity to produce organic matter and sprout after being trimmed. The same holds true for citrus plants, coffee and other crops in our agro-forest systems.

Pruning to rejuvenate and eliminate individuals who completed their cycle to accelerate natural succession processes
From the beginning, all consortiums in a system must be planted. To keep the dynamics of a system at optimum levels, when a given species begins to mature there must be an intervention. Many times, with trees, it's easy to detect when this happens; when insects begin to eat the leaves, when the tips begin to dry, when branches or whole plants are infested by parasites or when certain diseases begin to appear in a plant. In this case we should cut the damaged parts or eliminate the whole plant.

As was already explained, pruning is important to synchronize the system and accelerate the flow of organic matter. The pruning enhances the sprouting of new leaves and the resulting foliage is thicker than before. Consequently, the plants pruned and those surrounding them are stimulated and more organic matter is produced.

It's a common opinion that citrus plants and the chocolate tree cannot grow beside or under an inga, a motacú (Scheelea princeps) or any other tree. This is only true if the inga, motacu or any other plant are old and have no dynamics.

However, if the shade is pruned, the chocolate tree or the citric plant react and grow next or under a “young” shade. Crops belonging to the primary or secundary III consortiums - coffee, cocoa, and citric plants - cannot grow under trees that belong to the secondary II consortium with a shorter life cycle than they, if these are old and finishing their life cycle.

Many cocoa or coffee plantations all over the world have failed because the species used to provide shade had a shorter life cycle than they. Many Ingas ssp., Glyricida sepium, Erytrina ssp., etc., are recommended as shade trees, but if they are not pruned to rejuvenate they limit the growth dynamics of other plants.

Managing borders and limits with neighbouring plots
The vegetation found next to agro-forest exploitations has a considerable influence over the ecosystems and vice versa. For example, an agro-forest exploitation that borders with old fallow grounds is negatively influenced. The influence of this land will extend more or less to a distance corresponding to its height over the neighbouring system. On the other hand, dynamic agro-forest exploitations exercise a positive influence over their surroundings. The boundaries of exploitations that limit agro-forest parcels should be pruned, penetrating a distance more or less equivalent to their height.

[top]