what type of agroforestry system we have to chose where soil depth is low and vice versa?
While choosing tree species for agroforestry in an area, criteria are that the species, if exotic, should not be an invasive one ( taking over the whole area) , or preferably a native species as that has evolved under the current rainfall conditions. For shallow soils, often is the case in degraded hillslopes, nitrogen fixing trees ( leguminosae for instance) can slowly build up the soil over several decades. The species chosen woiuld be reasonably fast growing, but not extrenely fast growing that can lower the water table, leading to drying up of springs and lowers water availability for other plants in the area, including crops.
If you have official soil maps to soil series, many of your questions may be addressed in the documentation as to typical species and uses. Although others may learn some of these skills, an experienced soil scientist in sampling, mapping and interpreting soils would be the professional I would first seek. In my opinion, shallow soils will remain shallow for generations, true, sometimes nitrogen fixing legumes or other plants can help build them or increase suitability for some crops. Books on e natural range and needs of trees and plants should help determine options, but experienced soil scientists, foresters, botanists, agronomists can help you make wise choices for specific conditions.
Soil is an important factor in choosing the species as it an important site factor. If the soil is shallow and poor in fertility then you can go for species which improves the soil properties ( Nitrogen fixing, regular litter addition). Since the soil is shallow, the number of components selected should also be minimum. Select complementary species than competitive.
Soil depth play a crucial role in Agroforestry right from selection of crops and tree species. In Agroforestry normally we say the selected tree speceis should have deep root system so that the nutrient requirment of the tree can be met from absorbing the roots from the deeper layer and tree would not compete with agril crops for nutrients
Further, for proper establishment of tree deep soil is ideal to prevent uprooting of trees and subsequenet damge on the agril crops.
Dear friend, a fundamental hypothesis of agroforestry is that different plant life forms such as trees and herbaceous crops or pastures occupy to some extent different soil strata with their root systems when grown in association, leading to a degree of complementarity in their use of soil resources. For this reason,rooting depth and the vertical distribution of root systems are of particular interest for agroforestry. Rooting depth determines to which extent plants (e.g. trees) can use subsoil water and nutrients which make them less dependent from the supply in the topsoil and may also be made available to associated plants (e.g. crops) with shallower root systems through nutrient pumping and hydraulic lift.
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