Short-term effects of agroforestry systems on soil health in Southeastern Brazil

Matos, Priscila Silva; Cherubin, Maurício Roberto; Damian, Júnior Melo; Rocha, Fernando Igne; Pereira, Marcos Gervásio; Zonta, Everaldo

doi:10.1007/s10457-022-00749-4

Cited by 9 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…Ramirez et al [129] 2022 evaluated the soil quality index values of various land uses in the Philippines and reported the following trend according to the findings: forest (76.39%) > agroforestry (76.21%) > agriculture (49.43%). Matos et al [130] assigned Soil Management Assessment Framework (SMAF) scoring values to various land uses and discovered that the total SMAF scores were 0.87-0.88 for agroforestry systems, 0.83 for degraded pasture, and 0.82 for the secondary forest, with significant differences amongst the land types. It was discovered that the annual growth rate of the soil C stock was around 11% in an agrosilvopastoral system (the Iberian Dehesa system in a Mediterranean climate), far exceeding the proposed '4/1000 Soils for Food Security and Climate' initiative for enhancing soil carbon, which is critical for maintaining soil fertility and agricultural production [131].…”

Section: Agroforestry For Degraded Soil and Arid Areasmentioning

confidence: 99%

Agroforestry Systems for Soil Health Improvement and Maintenance

et al. 2022

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Agroforestry integrates woody perennials with arable crops, livestock, or fodder in the same piece of land, promoting the more efficient utilization of resources as compared to monocropping via the structural and functional diversification of components. This integration of trees provides various soil-related ecological services such as fertility enhancements and improvements in soil physical, biological, and chemical properties, along with food, wood, and fodder. By providing a particular habitat, refugia for epigenic organisms, microclimate heterogeneity, buffering action, soil moisture, and humidity, agroforestry can enhance biodiversity more than monocropping. Various studies confirmed the internal restoration potential of agroforestry. Agroforestry reduces runoff, intercepts rainfall, and binds soil particles together, helping in erosion control. This trade-off between various non-cash ecological services and crop production is not a serious constraint in the integration of trees on the farmland and also provides other important co-benefits for practitioners. Tree-based systems increase livelihoods, yields, and resilience in agriculture, thereby ensuring nutrition and food security. Agroforestry can be a cost-effective and climate-smart farming practice, which will help to cope with the climate-related extremities of dryland areas cultivated by smallholders through diversifying food, improving and protecting soil, and reducing wind erosion. This review highlighted the role of agroforestry in soil improvements, microclimate amelioration, and improvements in productivity through agroforestry, particularly in semi-arid and degraded areas under careful consideration of management practices.

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Section: Agroforestry For Degraded Soil and Arid Areasmentioning

confidence: 99%

Agroforestry Systems for Soil Health Improvement and Maintenance

et al. 2022

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“…Soil physical quality increases in ASF, as a consequence of the action of roots and soil organisms, and organic matter accumulation, which helps decreasing soil erosion processes and improving water quality and quantity (Silva et al, 2011;Guimarães et al, 2014;Cherubin et al, 2019).The constant addition of organic matter from tree pruning and the action of the different sizes and shapes of roots also stimulates nutrient availability and cycling and soil organisms in the ASF, thus improving soil fertility (Froufe et al, 2020;Matos et al, 2022) and biology (Cezar et al, 2015;Beule et al, 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soil physical and biological quality in a peasant agroforestry system in Southern Brazil

Charnobay

Neto

Auler

et al. 2023

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Agroforestry systems bring together social, economic, and environmental services and can be an alternative for promoting development and sustainability in peasant agriculture. This study aimed to evaluate the soil quality in a peasant agroecological agroforestry intercropped with vegetables (South Brazil). Treatments included an agroforestry row (AFS-R) managed under no-tillage and cultivated with trees for fruit and wood production; an agroforestry inter-row (AFS-I) managed with conventional tillage and cultivated with vegetables; and an area managed with conventional tillage (CT). Soil physical assessments comprised soil bulk density, total porosity, macroporosity, microporosity, bioporosity, mean weight diameter of aggregates, field capacity, aeration capacity, soil saturated hydraulic conductivity, and the visual evaluation of soil structure. Microbiological indicators included soil microbial biomass, basal respiration, microbial quotient, metabolic quotient, soil organic carbon, and the most probable number of nitrogen-fixing, ammonifying, and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria. The results demonstrated that AFS-R management improved several soil physical and microbiological attributes, highlighting the importance of plant diversity, organic residue inputs, and no-tillage for soil quality. On the other hand, the tillage practice contributed to structural and microbiological degradation in CT, and more intensively in AFS-I, indicating that more conservationist soil management, like minimum or no-tillage, might be studied as an alternative for the cultivation of vegetable crops in agroforestry systems.

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