Ten year balances of organic matter and nutrients in agroforestry systems at CATIE, Costa Rica

Fassbender, H. W.; Beer, John; Heuveldop, J.; Imbach, Alejandro; Enríquez, Gustavo A.; Bonnemann, A.

doi:10.1016/0378-1127(91)90215-h

Cited by 43 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…gliricidia (Gliricidia sepium) AFS in Indonesia amounted to 155 Mg C ha -1 (0-100 cm soil depth) (Smiley and Kroschel 2008) and TOC reserves in cacao ? erythrina (Erythrina poeppigiana) in Costa Rica was 240 Mg ha -1 (0-45 cm depth) (Fassbender et al 1991). A cacao alleycropping system in Costa Rica was reported to contain 162 Mg C ha -1 in the 0-40 cm soil depth (Oelbermann et al 2006), and a West African cacao AFS had 18.2 Mg C ha -1 in the 0-15 cm soil depth (Isaac et al 2005).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Distribution of oxidizable organic C fractions in soils under cacao agroforestry systems in Southern Bahia, Brazil

Barreto

Gama-Rodrigues

et al. 2010

Agroforest Syst

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Agroforestry systems can play a major role in the sequestration of carbon (C) because of their higher input of organic material to the soil. The importance of organic carbon to the physical, chemical, and biological aspects of soil quality is well recognized. However, total organic carbon measurements might not be sensitive indicators of changes in soil quality. Adoption of procedures that can extract the more labile fraction preferentially might be a more useful approach for the characterization of soil organic carbon resulting from different soils. This study aimed to evaluate organic carbon (C) fractions distribution in different soil layers up to 50 cm depth in two soil orders under cacao (Theobroma cacao) agroforestry systems (AFS) in Bahia, Brazil. Soil samples were collected from four depth classes (0-5, 5-10, 10-30 and 30-50 cm) under two cacao agroforestry systems (30-year-old stands of cacao with Erythrina glauca, as shade trees) in Latosol and Cambisol, in Bahia, Brazil. The determination of oxidizable carbon by a modified Walkley-Black method was done to obtain four C fractions with different labile forms of C (fraction 1: labile fraction; fraction 2: moderate labile fraction; fraction 3: low labile fraction and fraction 4: recalcitrant fraction). Overall, at two cacao AFS, the C fractions generally declined with increase in soil depth. The C fractions 1 and 2 were 50% higher on upper layers (0-5 and 5-10 cm). More than 50% of organic C was found in more labile fraction (fraction 1) in all depths for both soils. High value of C fraction 1 (more labile C)-to-total organic C ratio was obtained (around 54-59%, on Latosol and Cambisol, respectively), indicating large input of organic matter in these soils.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Distribution of oxidizable organic C fractions in soils under cacao agroforestry systems in Southern Bahia, Brazil

Barreto

Gama-Rodrigues

et al. 2010

Agroforest Syst

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“…To date, several studies have focused on species interactions and subsequent growth in both natural communities and agroecosystems (Alpizar et al 1986;Fassbender et al 1991;Ewel and Bigelow 1996;Tilman 1999), where productivity is often found to be dependent on a functional attribute of a species (Silver et al 1996;Hooper 1998) such as nitrogen fixation, or structural aspects such as canopy architecture and subsequent light availability (Ewel and Bigelow 1996). For cocoa plantation systems, it is hypothesized that once nutrient requirements are met, understory crop production is primarily dependent on the accessibility of solar radiation (Cunningham and Arnold 1962).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Shade tree effects in an 8-year-old cocoa agroforestry system: biomass and nutrient diagnosis of Theobroma cacao by vector analysis

Isaac

Timmer

Quashie-Sam

2007

Nutr Cycl Agroecosyst

132

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Farm product diversification, shade provision and low access to fertilizers often result in the purposeful integration of upper canopy trees in cocoa (Theobroma cacao) plantations. Subsequent modification to light and soil conditions presumably affects nutrient availability and cocoa tree nutrition. However, the level of complementarity between species requires investigation to minimize interspecific competition and improve resource availability. We hypothesized beneficial effects of upper canopy trees on cocoa biomass, light regulation, soil fertility and nutrient uptake. We measured cocoa standing biomass and soil nutrient stocks under no shade (monoculture) and under three structurally and functionally distinct shade trees: Albizia zygia (D.C.) Macbr, a nitrogen fixer; Milicia excelsa (Welw.), a native timber species; and Newbouldia laevis (Seem.), a native small stature species. Vector analysis was employed to diagnosis tree nutrition. Cocoa biomass was higher under shade (22.8 for sole cocoa versus 41.1 Mg ha −1 for cocoa under Milicia), and declined along a spatial gradient from the shade tree (P < 0.05). Percent canopy openness differed between the three shade species (P = 0.0136), although light infiltration was within the optimal range for cocoa production under all three species. Soil exchangeable K was increased under Newbouldia, while available P decreased and total N status was unaffected under all shade treatments. Nutrient uptake by cocoa increased under shade (43-80% and 22-45% for N and P, respectively), with K (96-140%) as the most responsive nutrient in these multistrata systems. Addition of low-density shade trees positively affected cocoa biomass close to the shade tree, however proper management of upper stratum trees is required for optimum cocoa productivity and sustainability.

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“…Although the body of cocoa research is very large (e.g., Ahenkorah et al, 1974;Wood and Lass, 1985;Somarriba et al, 2001), the results of cocoa studies have never been integrated into a physiological production model. The cocoa production models that have been established so far are either regressionbased models with limited applicability for locations other than the ones for which data were collected (e.g., Fassbender et al, 1991;Beer et al, 1990), or are conceptual models which are not suitable for yield simulations (e.g., Hutcheon, 1976;Balashima, 1991;Yapp andHadley, 1994 but see Ng, 1982). For cocoa, physiological simulation models may be valuable to compare attainable cocoa production between locations, soil types and cropping systems, to obtain insight in the main factors determining yield and to identify gaps in knowledge on cocoa production.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A physiological production model for cocoa (Theobroma cacao): model presentation, validation and application

Zuidema

Leffelaar

Gerritsma

et al. 2005

Agricultural Systems

185

133

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In spite of the economic importance and extensive agronomic literature on cocoa, no physiological production model has been developed for cocoa so far. Such a model would be very useful to compare yields in different climates and cropping systems, and to set the agenda for future agronomic research. Here, we present and apply such a physiological growth and production model for cocoa (SUCROS-Cocoa), based on the SUCROS-family of physiological crop growth models. Our model calculates light interception, photosynthesis, maintenance respiration, evapotranspiration, biomass production and bean yield for cocoa trees grown under shade trees. It can cope with both potential and water-limited situations, and is parameterised using existing information on cocoa physiology and morphology. A validation study showed that the model produces realistic output for bean yield, standing biomass, leaf area and The model was applied to answer four questions that are currently relevant to cocoa production. (1) Which are the most important yield-determining parameters? Sensitivity analyses revealed that these parameters were chiefly related to the morphology of fruits, photosynthesis and maintenance respiration. (2) To what extent can cocoa yield be predicted by rainfall and irradiance data? Regression analyses showed that over 70% of the variation in simulated bean yield could be explained by a combination of annual radiation and rainfall during the two driest months. (3) How large is the cocoa yield gap due to water limitation? Yield gaps were large -up to 50% -for locations with a strong dry season combined with an unfavourable (clayey or sandy) soil. The calculated yield gaps decreased exponentially with the amount of rain during the two driest months. (4) What are the consequences of shading on cocoa yield? Our simulations showed that moderate shade levels hardly affected bean yield, whereas heavy shading (>60%) reduced yields by more than one-third.

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Ten year balances of organic matter and nutrients in agroforestry systems at CATIE, Costa Rica

Cited by 43 publications

References 6 publications

Distribution of oxidizable organic C fractions in soils under cacao agroforestry systems in Southern Bahia, Brazil

Distribution of oxidizable organic C fractions in soils under cacao agroforestry systems in Southern Bahia, Brazil

Shade tree effects in an 8-year-old cocoa agroforestry system: biomass and nutrient diagnosis of Theobroma cacao by vector analysis

A physiological production model for cocoa (Theobroma cacao): model presentation, validation and application

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