Harmful effects

• There is competition between trees and crops for soil moisture, nutrient, light and space.
• Shading by trees reducing light intensity at the understory crop level. In such situation etiolation occurs in understory plants. Etiolation is a process in flowering plants grown in partial or complete absence of light. It is characterized by long, weak stems; smaller, sparser leaves.
• Trees in agroforestry can augment soil water availability to land-use systems. In dry regions, competition between trees and crops is a major problem.
• Root competition between trees and crops for water and nutrients occurs in the top soil. Therefore, trees having shallow root system compete more with crops for nutrients and moisture.