Pattern of soil moisture depletion in alley cropping under semiarid conditions in Zambia

The pattern of soil moisture changes was studied during a cropping season in an alley cropping experiment of maize withLeucaena leucocephala andFlemingia macrophylla at the SADC/ICRAF Agroforestry Research Station in a semiarid region near Lusaka, Zambia (28°29′56″ East and 15°21′32″ South). Soil moisture potential was monitored at regular intervals using tensiometers installed at 15, 30 and 45 cm depths in fertilized and unfertilized alleys within the double hedgerow, and the first, second and third rows of maize in the alleys.