Inceptisol Physicochemical Attributes in the Caatinga Biome Agroforestry Systems

Abstract

We evaluated two areas of sustainable management within the Caatinga and one area of conventional agricultural cultivation to compare their physicochemical attributes with those of native forest. The management strategies were as follows: (1) thinning of savanna; (2) thinning of strips; (3) conventional tillage with plowing and harrowing; and (4) native forest. The main indicators of physicochemical quality of the environments were bulk density, porosity, clay amount, phosphorus content, cation exchange capacity, and organic matter. The use of soil for agricultural purposes resulted in a reduction of soil organic matter, regardless of the tillage system. Even though the management strategy, which involved thinning of savanna, further increased the soil phosphorus content and compaction, it did not reach critical values that limit crop development.

Influence of Duration of Agroforestry on Physico-Chemical Soil Quality Parameters in Machakos County, Kenya

“…Statistical analysis indicates that there was no a significant difference in pH based on the duration of agroforestry practice (P > 0.05). This indicates similarity in the soil pH between the adopters and non adopters, which concurs with several studies (Behera et al, 2015;Singh, 2016;Rocha Junior et al, 2018;Sousa Neto et al, 2018;Yu, 2018). The lack of differences in pH may be attributed to the soil geology being over similar pH ranges and most trees planted rarely affect soil pH.…”