This field trial was set up in March 2014 in central Catalonia (Puig-Reig, Barcelona province, Spain) as part of the LIFE Futur Agrari project. The 1.5-hectare field, which was traditionally used for producing winter cereals such as wheat and barley, was planted with three rows of hybrid walnut (Juglans × intermedia) and common ash (Fraxinus excelsior) for timber production. The 100 m rows are 18 m apart and follow a SW-NE orientation adapted to the contour lines and shape of the field. This aims to diversify production and improve soil fertility while filtering leachates. Within each row, the trees were planted at various distances (2.5 and 4 m) and in various combinations (pure and mixed), according to a fully randomised split-plot design with three replications. The cereal is monitored at various distances from the tree rows (2.5 m, 4.5 m, 9 m; plus a control, located far from the tree rows) and at different orientations from the tree rows (north-west and south-east). During the SCALARE project, we plan to conduct monthly monitoring of cereal phenology, physiology and microclimate from late winter until early summer, as well as yield monitoring at harvest time.
