## 4 Discussion  
In this study, the naranjilla yield was 16.44 t ha\({}^{-1}\) in the first production cycle, which decreased to 12.01 in the third production cycle. The variation in yield in the different production cycles was possibly due to the fact that naranjilla is a very demanding crop for nutrients, as pointed out by [PERSON] et al. [1,5] who affirm that the yield is greater in the first year of the crop establishment because the plant takes advantage of all the available nutrients in the soil. This same behavior was found when this crop was associated with durazmillo (_Prunus annualis_) due to competition for soil nutrients [41]. In addition, it was determined that the AFS that combines the two types of legumes (_F. macrophilla_ + _G. seipium_) with 50% fertilization showed a yield (16.65 t ha\({}^{-1}\)) that was statistically similar to the yield obtained by the monocultures with 50 and 100% fertilization (18.89 and 19.60 t ha\({}^{-1}\), respectively). This would indicate that this fruit crop grown under an AFS is able to maintain production relatively similar to monoculture (even 100% fertilization) but with the environmental benefits that this type of cultivation system provides. In this study, the yields obtained by the monocultures (50% and 100% of fertilization) exceeded the national average yield (5.49 to 6.04 t ha\({}^{-1}\) year) reported for naranjilla cultivated in monoculture [3,4]. This behavior is due to the fact that the naranjilla received adequate agronomic management (pruning, fertilization, and phytosanitary controls). This is corroborated by [PERSON] et al. [4], who mentioned that when the naranjilla receives efficient and timely management, a profitability of 119% is generated. In addition, it was determined that the yields obtained in AFS with 50% fertilization and without fertilization were in the same range of significance as monocultures and also exceeded the yield reported for the national average. This same favorable behavior of yield increase has been found in other AFSs, for example in a system of _Hylocereus megalanthus_ with _E. peoprigiana_ and _G. seipium_, where the yields exceeded 33 and 50% (respectively) in comparison to the monoculture [8]. The same occurred in a plantation of _G. seipium_ associated with corn (_Z. mays_) and sorghum (_Sorghum_ sp. ), where the yields exceeded 42 and 55% (respectively) in comparison to the yield reached by the monoculture [42]. [PERSON] [43] also found that _Z. mays_ cultivated in legume fallow increased the yield by fourfold in the fourth year. In addition, it was reported that the yield improved by 20% in an AFS of _G. seipium_ + _Leucaemia leucophila_ + _E. variegate_ associated with coffee [44]. Therefore, these results indicate that incorporating legume species alongside the crop causes the yield to increase. On the other hand, [PERSON] et al. [45] point out that when naranjilla was associated with more than three fruit species (_Musa cavendishii_, _Thebroma caaco_, and _Borojoa patinoi_), fruit production decreased. Therefore, based on the results of this study, it is better to associate the naranjilla crop with legume species that provide biomass to increase the nutrient content of the soil. In this study, the nutrients coming from the legume biomass that contributed the most to the naranjilla yield were Fe, Mg, and B. Fe deficiency can limit crop yield and Mg is an element related to fruit quality in the naranjilla crop [46]. The legume biomass incorporated into the soil decomposes and provokes the solubilization of macronutrients and micronutrients, alleviating nutrient deficiency through recycling processes [43,47]. [PERSON] et al. [1] mentioned that the yield improves when Mg is part of the complete fertil