Biomass yield, soil cover and minerals accumulation by two green manures species grown in soils of Chiapas Mexico

Abstract

The aim of the current study was to assess the performance of Canavalia ensiformis and Mucuna deeringiana (Leguminosae) as a green manure in the agricultural soil of the Frailesca region of Chiapas, México, in terms of aboveground biomass accumulation, plant height, number of leaves, canopy coverage, and the accumulation of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). Each species was sowed at two population densities under a randomized complete block design with three replications. Every 30 days after sowing (DAS), the following variables were quantified: plant length, number of leaves, canopy coverage, biomass yield, and N, P, and K content. A variance analysis and mean comparison test (Tukey 0.05) were performed for each variable. The biomass yield in M. deeringiana fluctuated from 9150 to 33,160 kg ha-1 on a fresh basis and from 4490 to 15,890 kg ha-1 on a dry basis, whereas the yield in C. ensiformis varied from 9343 to 26,390 kg ha-1 and from 4513 to 13,150 kg ha-1, respectively. The longest recorded plant length was 513.00 cm in M. deeringiana and 155 cm in C. ensiformis, with a total of 353 and 322 leaves, respectively. The accumulation of N, P, and K was 463.99 kg ha-1, 84.22 kg ha-1, and 49.26 kg ha-1 in M. deeringiana and 341.90 kg ha-1, 43.40 kg ha-1, and 36.82 kg ha-1 in C. ensiformis, respectively. Both C. ensiformis and M. deeringiana have potential as green manure for the Frailesca region of Chiapas in terms of biomass production and N accumulation.

Assessing the biomass yield and nitrogen fixation of Lupinus angustifolius varieties as green manure in Jalisco, Mexico

“…Our results revealed that, in general, aboveground DM progressively increased in all six varieties with increasing maturity, which is considered a natural phenomenon in favorable conditions new tissues and organ are formed with the progression of maturation. A similar trend has already been reported in other species of legumes with potential as green manures and forage (Matos et al, 2008;Odhiambo, 2010;Perdigão et al, 2012;Prusiński, 2014;Solati et al, 2017;Dhamala et al, 2017;Zapata et al, 2019;Hernández et al, 2022). On the other hand, the aboveground biomass yields measured in this study were in the range of those reported by other authors, who reported values up to 8000-10 000 Kg ha -1 of DM in different legumes under favorable conditions (Dubrovskis et al, 2011;Talgre et al, 2012;Dhamala et al, 2017).…”

“…A decrease in N concentration with successive harvest dates was reported in other studies with different species and conditions, possibly due to the dilution effect of greater above-ground biomass. Similarly, a decreasing trend in N content has been reported for different forage crops and green manures in one season of growth as the plant matured beyond flowering (Odhiambo 2010;Dhamala et al, 2017;Zapata et al, 2019;Hernández et al, 2022). According to Müller et al (1988), the biomass production of a green manure is important when incorporating it into the soil, but it is necessary to also consider its concentration of N, as this is an important chemical characteristic that governs the rate of decomposition and mineralization into the soil.…”