The water balance of mixed tree-crop systems

This chapter reviews the beneficial and adverse effects of trees on crops with regard to water use and water balance, and considers how tree-crop interactions may change under different resource supply conditions and how the associated trade-offs may be controlled through management practices. The basic processes (rainfall, soil water and drainage, soil evaporation, and transpiration) controlling individual water balance components and how these may be influenced by specific tree-crop mixtures are also discussed, as well as the techniques that may be used to quantify each water balance component