This study found that shade trees increased the light use efficiency (LUE) of coffee plants by 57% despite decreasing available photosynthetically active radiation (aPAR) by 41%. The 3D light and gas exchange model MAESPA found that the increased LUE under shade trees could only be partially explained by the increase in diffuse light, with changes to microclimate also playing a role. Surprisingly, the net primary productivity of coffee resprouts did not differ between light environments, suggesting a nearly total compensation of productivity despite large reductions in aPAR under shade trees. This level of compensation is rarely observed in other studies but may be possible due to coffee's natural shade tolerance.
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