Agroforestry systems as nature-based solutions for agroecosystem resilience and sustainable landscape restoration

Abstract

Viktoriia Skliar*, Ihor Kovalenko, Andrii Butenko, Maryna Sherstiuk, Roman Yaroshchuk, Hanna Klymenko, Svitlana Yaroshchuk

This study evaluated the influence of field-protective agroforestry plantings on microclimatic parameters, population density, vitality structure, morphometric characteristics, and productivity of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) agrocenoses in agricultural landscapes of Ukraine. Field observations, microclimatic measurements, morphometric analysis, vitality assessment, and productivity evaluation were conducted at different distances from shelterbelts and compared with open agricultural fields lacking agroforestry elements. The results demonstrated that agroforestry systems substantially modified environmental conditions by reducing temperature extremes, increasing relative air humidity, and promoting more stable snow cover distribution. The strongest ecological stabilization effect was observed within the 50-150 m zone from agroforestry plantings. Winter wheat populations on agroforestry-protected fields exhibited significantly higher plant density, improved morphometric development, and more favorable vitality structure compared with populations on open fields. Prosperous populations dominated within the 100-200 m zone from shelterbelts, whereas open fields were characterized mainly by depressive population types. Grain productivity on agroforestry-protected fields exceeded that of unprotected fields by 5.0-5.3 c ha-1. The obtained results confirm that agroforestry systems enhance agroecosystem stability through microclimatic regulation, improvement of crop vitality, and optimization of hydrothermal conditions. Agroforestry plantings should therefore be considered important components of sustainable agricultural management and post-war ecological restoration strategies in Ukraine