Coffee yield peaks at intermediate shade tree cover in the mid-hills of Nepal

Coffee yield peaks at intermediate shade tree cover in the mid-hills of Nepal | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Coffee yield peaks at intermediate shade tree cover in the mid-hills of Nepal Simon Lotz, Bishnu Hari Pandit, Hans-Peter Schmidt, Dirk Hölscher This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6989302/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 17 Jan, 2026 Read the published version in Agroforestry Systems → Version 1 posted 10 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Agroforestry systems help address global challenges by supporting biodiversity, rural livelihoods, and climate change adaptation. While Arabica coffee ( Coffea arabica L.) is traditionally grown in agroforestry systems, full-sun plantations have been promoted too, fueling the debate over optimal shade tree integration for coffee production. The present study assessed coffee yields in relation to canopy cover and carbon stocks at the plot level in the mid-hills of Nepal. We established monitoring plots and quantified coffee yields through cherry counting. The canopy cover was estimated from canopy photos. Shade trees were identified and their above-ground carbon stocks were measured using tree height and diameter at breast height. We found coffee yields ranging from 36 to 1081 kg ha⁻¹, with an overall mean of 364 kg ha⁻¹. Canopy cover varied from 0 to 90% across all plots. Shade trees stored an average of 43.5 Mg ha⁻¹ of carbon in their above-ground biomass. The total mean carbon stock—including above-ground, below-ground, and soil organic carbon to 30 cm depth—was 138.8 Mg ha⁻¹. A bell-shaped relationship (R 2 = 0.40) was observed between canopy cover and coffee yields. Medium canopy cover levels supported the highest yields. In contrast, both low ( 70%) canopy covers resulted in significant yield reductions. The agroforestry systems with the highest above-ground carbon stocks were associated with dense canopy covers (> 70%), indicating a trade-off between maximizing carbon sequestration and maximizing coffee yields. agroforestry above-ground biomass carbon stocks coffee plantation canopy cover Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files SIcoffeeyieldpeaksatintermediateshadetreecover.docx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 17 Jan, 2026 Read the published version in Agroforestry Systems → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 21 Aug, 2025 Reviews received at journal 28 Jul, 2025 Reviews received at journal 21 Jul, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 14 Jul, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 11 Jul, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 10 Jul, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 10 Jul, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 07 Jul, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 30 Jun, 2025 First submitted to journal 27 Jun, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6989302","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":484026622,"identity":"f6bf7ce2-500d-456b-a99a-dda574e4f405","order_by":0,"name":"Simon 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While Arabica coffee (\u003cem\u003eCoffea arabica\u003c/em\u003e L.) is traditionally grown in agroforestry systems, full-sun plantations have been promoted too, fueling the debate over optimal shade tree integration for coffee production. The present study assessed coffee yields in relation to canopy cover and carbon stocks at the plot level in the mid-hills of Nepal. We established monitoring plots and quantified coffee yields through cherry counting. The canopy cover was estimated from canopy photos. Shade trees were identified and their above-ground carbon stocks were measured using tree height and diameter at breast height. We found coffee yields ranging from 36 to 1081 kg ha⁻\u0026sup1;, with an overall mean of 364 kg ha⁻\u0026sup1;. Canopy cover varied from 0 to 90% across all plots. Shade trees stored an average of 43.5 Mg ha⁻\u0026sup1; of carbon in their above-ground biomass. 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