Agroforestry with N2-fixing trees: sustainable development's friend or foe?

Rosenstock, Todd S.; Tully, Katherine L.; Arias-Navarro, Cristina; Neufeldt, Henry; Butterbach‐Bahl, Klaus; Verchot, Louis

doi:10.1016/j.cosust.2013.09.001

Cited by 96 publications

(48 citation statements)

References 50 publications

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“…These benefits are based on the perceived ability of (i) vegetative buffer strips to decrease surface transport of agrochemical pollutants; (ii) large volumes of aboveground and belowground biomass of trees to store C deeper in the soil profile; and (iii) trees enhance soil productivity through biological N2 fixation, efficient nutrient cycling, and deep capture of nutrients. Legume-based agroforestry has the capacity to support biological N fixation to enhance subsequent soil N availability and therefore improve soil fertility and crop yields [102].…”

Section: Agroforestrymentioning

confidence: 99%

Soil Degradation in India: Challenges and Potential Solutions

et al. 2015

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Soil degradation in India is estimated to be occurring on 147 million hectares (Mha) of land, including 94 Mha from water erosion, 16 Mha from acidification, 14 Mha from flooding, 9 Mha from wind erosion, 6 Mha from salinity, and 7 Mha from a combination of factors. This is extremely serious because India supports 18% of the OPEN ACCESS Sustainability 2015, 7 3529world's human population and 15% of the world's livestock population, but has only 2.4% of the world's land area. Despite its low proportional land area, India ranks second worldwide in farm output. Agriculture, forestry, and fisheries account for 17% of the gross domestic product and employs about 50% of the total workforce of the country. Causes of soil degradation are both natural and human-induced. Natural causes include earthquakes, tsunamis, droughts, avalanches, landslides, volcanic eruptions, floods, tornadoes, and wildfires. Human-induced soil degradation results from land clearing and deforestation, inappropriate agricultural practices, improper management of industrial effluents and wastes, over-grazing, careless management of forests, surface mining, urban sprawl, and commercial/industrial development. Inappropriate agricultural practices include excessive tillage and use of heavy machinery, excessive and unbalanced use of inorganic fertilizers, poor irrigation and water management techniques, pesticide overuse, inadequate crop residue and/or organic carbon inputs, and poor crop cycle planning. Some underlying social causes of soil degradation in India are land shortage, decline in per capita land availability, economic pressure on land, land tenancy, poverty, and population increase. In this review of land degradation in India, we summarize (1) the main causes of soil degradation in different agro-climatic regions; (2) research results documenting both soil degradation and soil health improvement in various agricultural systems; and (3) potential solutions to improve soil health in different regions using a variety of conservation agricultural approaches.

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Section: Agroforestrymentioning

confidence: 99%

Soil Degradation in India: Challenges and Potential Solutions

et al. 2015

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“…1.5-3 ton.ha −1 ). Nevertheless, caution should be paid to the potential environmental hazard of NO 3 leaching and resultant eutrophication [43][44][45], as well as to the choice of the best crop(s)/NFTS combination(s) and cropping type (intercropping, multistrata or fallows) [46][47].…”

Section: Importance and Role In Agroforestry Tropical Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Potential of Tree and Shrub Legumes in Agroforestry Systems

Ribeiro‐Barros¹,

Silva²,

Moura³

et al. 2018

Nitrogen in Agriculture - Updates

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Climate variability and changes are utmost important primary drivers of biological processes. They are intimately associated with a wide array of abiotic stresses, highlighting the vulnerability of ecosystems and endangering biodiversity. Nitrogen-fixing trees and shrubs (NFTSs) constitute a unique group of plants for their wide range of applications at the environmental, social and economic levels. In this chapter, we review and analyse the potential of this group of legumes in agroforestry towards sustainable agriculture in Africa. In the first part, the intertwined pillar of sustainable agriculture is brought forward under the context of growing population and climate changes. The second part addresses general aspects of legumes, including botany and the symbiosis with rhizobia. The third part includes the application of NFTS as N-fertilizers in agroforestry, highlighting the importance of an accurate choice of the crop(s)/ NFTS combination(s) and cropping type (intercropping, multistrata or fallows). The implementation of agroforestry systems with NFTS should be supported by fundamental research strategies such as stable isotopes and systems biology and preceded by experimental assays, in order to identify the factors promoting N-losses and to design appropriate management strategies that synchronize legume-N availability with the crop demand.

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“…Reduction of the aboveground vegetation implies a lower aboveground organic matter input in pastures, shifting cultivated fields and degraded or young secondary forests, but this is partially compensated for by the slower organic matter decomposition that is caused by less favorable microclimatic conditions [87] and sometimes by reduced litter "quality" (less nutrients, higher lignin and polyphenol content) in degraded land. Agroforestry legumes can build up and maintain SOM relative to degraded areas [88], via continual inputs of leaf/twig (and root) litter and of pruning.…”

Section: Anthropic Impacts On Amazonian Sommentioning

confidence: 99%

Improving Farming Practices for Sustainable Soil Use in the Humid Tropics and Rainforest Ecosystem Health

et al. 2016

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Abstract:Unsustainable farming practices such as shifting cultivation and slash-and-burn agriculture in the humid tropics threaten the preservation of the rainforest and the health of the local and global environment. In weathered soils prone to cohesion in humid tropic due to low Fe and carbon content and the enormous amounts of P that can be adsorbed, sustainable soil use is heavily dependent on the availability and efficient use of nutrients. This paper reviews the literature in the field and provides some insights about sustainable soil use in the humid tropics, mainly for the Brazilian Amazonia region. Careful management of organic matter and physical and chemical indicators is necessary to enhance root growth and nutrient uptake. To improve the rootability of the arable layer, a combination of gypsum with continuous mulching to increase the labile organic matter fraction responsible for the formation of a short-lived structure important for root growth is recommended, rather than tillage. Unlike mulching, mechanical disturbance via ploughing of Amazonian soils causes very rapid and permanent soil organic matter losses and often results in permanent recompaction and land degradation or anthropic savannization; thus, it should be avoided. Unlike in other regions, like southeast Brazil, saturating the soil solely with inorganic potassium and nitrogen soluble fertilizers is not recommended. Nutrient retention in the root zone can be enhanced if nutrients are added in a slow-release form and if biologically mediated processes are used for nutrient release, as occurs in green manure. Therefore, an alternative that favors using local resources to increase the supply of nutrients and offset processes that impair the efficiency of nutrient use must be pursued.

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Agroforestry with N2-fixing trees: sustainable development's friend or foe?

Cited by 96 publications

References 50 publications

Soil Degradation in India: Challenges and Potential Solutions

Soil Degradation in India: Challenges and Potential Solutions

The Potential of Tree and Shrub Legumes in Agroforestry Systems

Improving Farming Practices for Sustainable Soil Use in the Humid Tropics and Rainforest Ecosystem Health

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