## 2 Materials and Methods
### Crop Management  
The study was implemented in soil where the previous crop was grass. The _S. quitoense_ plants were sown at 2.0 m between rows and 2.0 m between plants. _G. septum_ plants were sown at 2.0 m between rows and 1.5 m between plants when alone, and 4 m between rows and 1.5 m between plants in the combined treatment. Meanwhile, _F. macrophylla_ was planted at 2 m between rows and 0.5 m between plants when alone, and 4 m between rows and 0.5 m between plants in the combined treatment. A double row was sown for this species. Basal shoots of _G. septum_ were cut to leave a single stem after six months of planting. The crown formed at four meters from the stem of the plant and the lower branches were pruned in the second year [30]. _F. macrophylla_ did not receive any type of pruning. The biomass pruning of _G. septum_ consisted of the elimination of 60% of the biomass from the  
Figure 1: Agroforestry system of _Solanum quitoense_ with _Gliricidia sepium_, located in the Palora Experimental Farm. aerial part of the plant. The quantity of biomass added by this species in the treatments with and without fertilization was from 6 to 7, 13 to 16, and 8 to 9 kg plant\({}^{-1}\) in the three production cycles. In the _G. septum_ system, biomass incorporation was conducted each 120 days which meant 3 prunings in the year; while in the _F. macrophulla_ system, pruning was performed every 90 days (4 prunings a year). _F. macrophylla_ plants were pruned when they showed 50% flowering and treatments with and without fertilization from 1 to 2, 1 to 4, and 2 kg plant\({}^{-1}\) were added in the three production cycles [8]. All the organic matter of the legumes was cut and remained on the surface of the soil alongside the _S. quitoense_ plants, following the recommendation of [PERSON] et al. [31]. At two months of age from the transplant, training pruning was performed, basal shoots above and below the rootstock were removed, and four secondary branches were chosen to structure the top tree crown. From 2 to 10 months, sanitation and maintenance pruning was carried out with the aim of eliminating branches in the lower area, intertwined branches, overabundance of leaves, branches and fruits showing disease symptoms; this also enabled good air circulation and better entry of light. Pest control was carried out each 15 days in the fructification stage using preventive and curative agrochemicals like cymoxanil, metalaxyl, and abamectin. Weed control was carried out monthly with a brush cutter. The harvest of the fruits for the evaluation of the yield was carried out manually with pruning shears when the fruit was found in the state of maturation 4 according to the Ecuadorian Technical Standard of the Ecuadorian Institute of Standardization [32]. Nutrients were applied according to the recommendation of [PERSON] et al. [5], taking into consideration the crop requirement to achieve a yield of 30 t ha\({}^{-1}\), the soil fertility and its nutrient contribution, as well as fertilizer efficiency. The fertilization was carried out using nitrate of ammonium containing 33% of N, calcium nitrate with 12.3% of N and 16.8% of Ca, di-ammonium phosphate with 18% of N and 48% of P, sulfate of magnesium with 12% of Mg and 20% of S, and potassium chloride containing 60% of K. In agroforestry systems with 50% fertilization, 86 to 57 g of N, 68 to 75 g of P, 56 to 94 g of K, 38 g of Ca, 19 to 23 g of Mg, and 72 to 90 g of S were added per plant. In the first year, the N was added in highest amount but it decreased in the third year. An amount of 114 to 173 g of N, 135 to 150 g of P, 113 to 188 g of K, 75 g of Ca, 38 to 47 g of Mg, and 144 to 180 g of S were added per plant in the monoculture with 100% fertilization. The same elements were applied to half of the monoculture group with 50% fertilization. The 20% of N was applied to the transplant and the other four fractions at three, six, eight, and ten months after the transplanting.