Figure 1: Measurement of leaf area index of bell peppers.
The alley cropping system also produced an elderberry yield of 645 kg/ha, an addition to the crop mix that non-alley-cropping plots did not have. Combined with a slightly higher bell pepper yield in the alley-cropping treatment, this resulted in a greater total crop yield than the non-alley-cropping system (Figure 2).
Figure 2: Bell pepper and elderberry yield under alley-cropping and no-alley-cropping systems. Bell pepper yield was slightly higher in the alley-cropping treatment, with additional elderberry yield contributing to total system productivity.
Preliminary soil analysis results suggest that planting elderberry could improve the soil's physical, chemical, and biological properties. The initial results (Figure 3) demonstrated that the presence of elderberry plants (E) is related to notable increases in primary nutrients, specifically nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K), compared to the areas with no elderberry (NE). The presence of elderberry plants was also associated with increases in water-holding capacity (WHC), permanganate oxidizable carbon (POXC), and organic matter (OM) at the study site.
Figure 3: Measured soil health parameters in the areas with elderberry presence (E) and no elderberry (NE). Note: unit conversion for P, K: 1 lb/a = 1.12 Kg/ha.
Preliminary research suggests that elderberry can offer agronomic and commercial benefits in alley cropping systems. At Kentucky State University’s West Farm, elderberry-based alley cropping was associated with improved bell pepper growth, added elderberry yield, and improved soil-health indicators. Additional studies and on-farm trials are needed, but early results suggest elderberry may be a promising option for Kentucky producers interested in agroforestry.
This work was supported by USDA NIFA Capacity Building Grant No. 1028631 and the USDA Evans-Allen Project, accession no. 7007252.
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