TITLE:
Productivity, Leaf Nutrient Content and Soil Carbon Stocked in Agroforestry and Traditional Management of Maize (Zea mays L.)
AUTHORS:
Maria J. A. Bertalot, Iraê A. Guerrini, Eduardo Mendoza, Mauro S. V. Pinto
KEYWORDS:
Alley Cropping; Leucaena diversifolia; Crop Sequence; Green Manure; Soil Nutrient Concentration; Soil Organic Matter; Carbon Stocked in Soil
JOURNAL NAME:
American Journal of Plant Sciences,
Vol.5 No.6,
March
25,
2014
ABSTRACT: The aim of the work was to evaluate the productivity, leaf nutrient content and soil
nutrient concentration in maize (Zea
mays L.) grown in sequence with black oats (Avena strigosa Schreb.)
under Leucaena diversifolia alley cropping agroforestry system (AFS) and
traditional management system/sole crop (without trees-TS), after two years of
cultivation following a randomized block design. The experiment was carried out
in the Brazilian Association of Biodynamic Agriculture, in Botucatu—S?o Paulo, Brazil. Treatments were: control
(C), chemical fertilizer application (F), biomass of L. diversifolia alley cropping application (B), biomass of L. diversifolia alley
cropping + chemical fertilizer application (B + F). In the second year of
management it was observed that black oat yield was higher in treatments B + F and F with significant difference in relation to the others treatments
in both systems, followed by treatment B. Between systems, only treatment B
showed significant difference, with higher yield value corresponding to AFS,
reflecting the efficiency of AFS to promote soil fertility. Maize production presented the second year
of cultivation an increasing trend in all treatments in both production
systems. This result may be due to the cumulative effect of mineralization and maize
straw and oats, along the experiment. How productivity was higher in the AFS
system, could also be occurring effect of biological nitrogen fixation, water
retention and reduction of extreme microclimate through the rows of L. diversifolia. Comparing the AFS and
TS, it was observed that the concentration of N in leaf tissue was higher in
the AFS treatments, probably due to nitrogen fixation performed through the
rows of L. diversifolia, that is a nitrogen fixing tree species. After
two years, carbon stocked in soil show higher values in the treatments biomass
+ fertilizer and biomass application, in both systems, AFS and TS.