Agroforestry influences microclimate and resource availability, particularly light, soil moisture, and nutrients, thus favouring the often growth of associated crops. This study aims to assess whether tree shade act as stress or the leveraging factor in degraded soil environment of semi-arid Shallow Basaltic Deccan plateau, India. We hypotheses that tree shades influence physiological and biochemical traits of understory crops and modify yield. This field study evaluated the shade-induced effect of a 9-year-old trees (Emblica officinalis) on microclimate modifications and associated stress regulation on intercropped chickpea varieties (Digvijay and Vijay) in shallow basaltic poor soils. Weekly light intensity readings were collected for 12 weeks to categorise the natural shade gradients as 20 %, 30 %, 40 %, and 50 % shade levels and compared with the open field (0 %). Results revealed that shade delayed the flowering by 12–16 days, improved relative water content by 6–9 %, and reduced canopy temperatures by 3–5°C; consequently, it delayed the maturity by 4–9 days and enhanced biomass accumulation by 36–72 % and other physiological traits in chickpea varieties. Maximum yield (1.55 Mg ha⁻¹) was recorded under 50 % shade, with Digvijay outperforming Vijay (1.46 vs. 1.03 Mg ha⁻¹). As a result, stress indicators such as proline and ascorbic acid were produced at lower levels under shade conditions. The crop status index, effectively captured plant health variation across shade levels, showing a strong correlation with yield. Therefore, findings highlight that tree shade acts as a leveraging factor, effectively buffering against moisture stress and high light intensity, owing to moderation in ambient temperature on degraded soil environments. This nature-based solution could be a sustainable potential climate adaptation option to enhance the productivity and imparting resilience under degraded conditions particularly in face of climate change extremities.
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