Simply obtained global radiation, soil temperature and soil moisture in analley cropping system in semi-arid Kenya

Global radiation, soil temperature and soil moisture data were obtained fro m a 4-6 year old Cassia siamea/maize (CM) alley cropping (or hedgerow inter cropping) system, at a semi-arid site at Machakos, Kenya, in the late eight ies. With the growing need to explore and manage variations in agro-ecosyst ems these results deserve new attention. They quantify, in a simple but det ailed manner, the influence of hedgerows on the microclimate of their inter crop and for comparison provide a sole maize (SM) control. Due to inhomogen eity of Cassia and maize, as well as limited budgets, the sampling methodol ogy and the choice of appropriate equipment, including the sensors, demande d special attention. The diurnal patterns of soil temperatures at 7.5 cm de pth represented well the shading patterns of the hedgerows. This can be dev eloped into an operational auxiliary methodology of integrated shade quanti fication. With proper precautions, the developed sampling methodologies sho wed appropriately the time integrated values of the three microclimatic par ameters with enough detail to understand yield differences between treatmen ts and between rows. This approach may therefore be recommended for on-farm quantification of even greater spatial variability of parameters. The limi tations of the selected methods are highlighted. Experiences with some alte rnative methods are also discussed.