Spatial variation of earthworm communities and soil organic carbon in temperate agroforestry

Cardinael, Rémi; Hoeffner, Kevin; Chenu, Claire; Chevallier, Tiphaine; Béral, Camille; Dewisme, Antoine; Cluzeau, Daniel

doi:10.1007/s00374-018-1332-3

Cited by 53 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 68 publications

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“…Ecosystem engineers (e.g., earthworms and ants) alter the physical structure and porosity of the soil by creating burrows, chambers, and castings, and influence nutrient and energy flow by ingesting organic matter and mixing with the soil [52,53,70]. In a combined food and energy system in Denmark, the earthworm count in shelter belts was 148 m −2 , compared to 63 m −2 in a conventional barley production system [2].…”

Section: Soil Biodiversitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Agroforestry Benefits and Challenges for Adoption in Europe and Beyond

2020

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Soil degradation is a global concern, decreasing the soil’s ability to perform a multitude of functions. In Europe, one of the leading causes of soil degradation is unsustainable agricultural practices. Hence, there is a need to explore alternative production systems for enhanced agronomic productivity and environmental performance, such as agroforestry systems (AFS). Given this, the objective of the study is to enumerate the major benefits and challenges in the adoption of AFS. AFS can improve agronomic productivity, carbon sequestration, nutrient cycling, soil biodiversity, water retention, and pollination. Furthermore, they can reduce soil erosion and incidence of fire and provide recreational and cultural benefits. There are several challenges to the adoption and uptake of AFS in Europe, including high costs for implementation, lack of financial incentives, limited AFS product marketing, lack of education, awareness, and field demonstrations. Policies for financial incentives such as subsidies and payments for ecosystem services provided by AFS must be introduced or amended. Awareness of AFS products must be increased for consumers through appropriate marketing strategies, and landowners need more opportunities for education on how to successfully manage diverse, economically viable AFS. Finally, field-based evidence is required for informed decision-making by farmers, advisory services, and policy-making bodies.

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Section: Soil Biodiversitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Agroforestry Benefits and Challenges for Adoption in Europe and Beyond

2020

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“…For example, deeprooting trees are able to take up leached nutrients from soil layers that are not accessible to crops (Allen et al, 2004;Wang et al, 2011). Depending on the age of the tree component, temperate agroforestry has shown to increase soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks and soil nutrient availability, especially close to the trees (Cardinael et al, 2015(Cardinael et al, , 2019Pardon et al, 2017). In order to account for the spatial heterogeneity within agroforestry systems, several studies applied transectal sampling strategies such as sampling in the crop rows at different distances from the tree rows (Cardinael et al, 2015;Pardon et al, 2017;Swieter et al, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Poplar Rows in Temperate Agroforestry Croplands Promote Bacteria, Fungi, and Denitrification Genes in Soils

et al. 2020

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Agroforestry, which is the integration of trees into monoculture cropland, can alter soil properties and nutrient cycling. Temperate agroforestry practices have been shown to affect soil microbial communities as indicated by changes in enzyme activities, substrate-induced respiration, and microbial biomass. Research exploring soil microbial communities in temperate agroforestry with the help of molecular tools which allow for the quantification of microbial taxa and selected genes is scarce. Here, we quantified 13 taxonomic groups of microorganisms and nine genes involved in N cycling (N 2 fixation, nitrification, and denitrification) in soils of three paired temperate agroforestry and conventional monoculture croplands using real-time PCR. The agroforestry croplands were poplar-based alley-cropping systems in which samples were collected in the tree rows as well as within the crop rows at three distances from the tree rows. The abundance of Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria, Alpha-and Gammaproteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Verrucomicrobia increased in the vicinity of poplar trees, which may be accounted for by the presence of persistent poplar roots as well as by the input of tree litter. The strongest population increase was observed for Basidiomycota, which was likely related to high soil moisture, the accumulation of tree litter, and the absence of tillage in the tree rows. Soil microorganisms carrying denitrification genes were more abundant in the tree rows than in the crop rows and monoculture systems, suggesting a greater potential for nitrate removal through denitrification, which may reduce nitrate leaching. Since microbial communities are involved in critical soil processes, we expect that the combination of real-time PCR with soil process measurements will greatly enhance insights into the microbial control of important soil functions in agroforestry systems.

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“…Earthworm abundance, biomass and diversity are enhanced in agrisilvicultural systems (Cardinael et al, 2019). In general, these systems have a positive effect on soil fauna (Marsden et al, 2020).…”

Section: Soil Biodiversity Lossmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recarbonizing global soils: A technical manual of recommended sustainable soil management

Rietra

Lesschen

Porre

2021

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Cover cropping (CC) can be applied worldwide, but there is not a cover crop that fits every farming situation and potential benefits vary with climate, soil type and plant species. In detail, CCs can better fit in humid and subhumid regions than in semiarid regions where precipitation is limited (Unger and Vigil, 1998). The possible competition of CCs for available soil water in semiarid regions can limit the adoption of the practice (Unger and Vigil, 1998;Nielsen et al., 2015). A different approach to agricultural management is required for arable and woody crops. Impact on soil organic carbon stocksThe C storage potential of CCs is quite variable at regional level and with land use, ranging from 0.27 to 1.03 tC/ha/yr in the examined meta-analyses (Table 1). A higher potential was found in woody crops in warm temperate dry climates (about 1.00 tC/ha/yr), and lower values in arable crops most for temperate and tropical climates (0.32-0.56 tC/ha/yr). C storage potential in arable systems was 0.71, 0.51 and 0.46 tC/ha/yr in tropical, temperate and arid climates respectively (Jian et al., 2020). Data from a literature review (Blanco-Canqui et al.

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Spatial variation of earthworm communities and soil organic carbon in temperate agroforestry

Cited by 53 publications

References 68 publications

Agroforestry Benefits and Challenges for Adoption in Europe and Beyond

Agroforestry Benefits and Challenges for Adoption in Europe and Beyond

Poplar Rows in Temperate Agroforestry Croplands Promote Bacteria, Fungi, and Denitrification Genes in Soils

Recarbonizing global soils: A technical manual of recommended sustainable soil management

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