Plantation Crops

Shade management

Beneficial effects of shade in coffee

1) Quality improvement: Shade trees form natural canopy and it improves aromatic properties.

2) Improved foliar health: Shade helps in getting glassy elegant leaves and controls pre mature yellowing of leaves, defoliation and dieback.

3) Mulching effect: Leaves shed from the shade trees acts as soil mulch which in turn held in conserving the soil moisture and prevents soil erosion and improves soil organic matter status.

4) Temperature regulation: Insulation effect leading to buffering effect in soil temperature.
                 Winter season = temperature will be warm enough and 
                 Summer temperature under shade trees: cool

5) Improved organic matter status of soil : Decomposed leafy materials improves organic matter content of soil. There will be minimum loss of humus under shade thereby improving soil physical conditions.

6) Disease incidence : some of the diseases viz., Cercospora leaf spot and Colletotrichum etc are minimized under shaded situations

7) Yield regulations: Shaded situations prevents over bearing in any of the particular year and results in less variations / fluctuations in annual yields.

8) Wind breaks: Shade trees serve as wind belts and protects from hailstone damage and damage due to cold wave.