1. Litterfall seasonal dynamics and leaf-litter turnover in cocoa agroforests established on past forest lands or savannah
- Author
-
Jean-Daniel Essobo Nieboukaho, Stéphane Saj, Jean-Michel Harmand, Pierre-Eric Lauri, Annemarijn Nijmeijer, Agrosystèmes Biodiversifiés (UMR ABSys), Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (Cirad)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-Centre International de Hautes Etudes Agronomiques Méditerranéennes - Institut Agronomique Méditerranéen de Montpellier (CIHEAM-IAMM), Centre International de Hautes Études Agronomiques Méditerranéennes (CIHEAM)-Centre International de Hautes Études Agronomiques Méditerranéennes (CIHEAM)-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro), Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE), Département Performances des systèmes de production et de transformation tropicaux (Cirad-PERSYST), Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (Cirad), Institut de recherche agricole pour le développement (IRAD), Ecologie fonctionnelle et biogéochimie des sols et des agro-écosystèmes (UMR Eco&Sols), Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (Cirad)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro), World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), This study was supported by the STRADIV (n°1405-018, Agropolis Fondation) project, the CIRAD, the ICRAF Yaounde ́and the IRAD. This research was conducted within the ‘‘DP Agroforestry Cameroon’’ Research and Training Platform and within the framework of the CGIAR Research Program on Forests, Trees and Agroforestry (FTA)., STRADIV (n°1405-018, Agropolis Fondation) project, Institut de Recherche Agricole pour le Développement [Yaoundé] (IRAD), World Agroforestry Centre [CGIAR, Cameroun] (ICRAF), World Agroforestry Center [CGIAR, Kenya] (ICRAF), Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research [CGIAR] (CGIAR)-Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research [CGIAR] (CGIAR), and Agropolis Fondation) project, the CIRAD, the ICRAF Yaounde and the IRAD. This research was conducted within the 'DP Agroforestry Cameroon' Research and Training Platform and within the framework of the CGIAR Research Program on Forests, Trees and Agroforestry (FTA).
- Subjects
0106 biological sciences ,Agroecosystem ,Litière forestière ,Nutrient cycle ,F08 - Systèmes et modes de culture ,[SDV]Life Sciences [q-bio] ,Microclimate ,Agroforesterie ,01 natural sciences ,Nutrient ,systèmes agroforestiers ,Theobroma cacao ,Agroforestry ,Savane ,2. Zero hunger ,Litterbag decomposition ,Litière végétale ,Litterfall dynamics ,P34 - Biologie du sol ,Forestry ,04 agricultural and veterinary sciences ,15. Life on land ,Plant litter ,F61 - Physiologie végétale - Nutrition ,Agronomy ,Leaf-litter cycling ,Soil water ,[SDE]Environmental Sciences ,040103 agronomy & agriculture ,Litter ,0401 agriculture, forestry, and fisheries ,Environmental science ,cycle nutriments dans écosystèmes ,Sol de forêt ,Cycling ,Agronomy and Crop Science ,010606 plant biology & botany - Abstract
International audience; Nutrient cycling in cocoa agroforestry systems (cAFS) is complex and poorly understood. To better understand the mass flow of carbon and nutrients into the soil sub-system under various contexts we quantified the mass flow of litterfall, its composition and seasonal variations in different agroforestry systems in Bokito (Central Cameroon). We studied litterfall dynamics and in situ leaf-litter cycling of cAFS established on past forest lands (F-cAFS) and savannah (S-cAFS). We also studied the decomposition of cocoa and associated tree leaf-litter in litterbags. Local secondary semi-deciduous forests were included as control. Annual litterfall in full-grown cAFS (> 15 years old) was high (9.4 Mg ha−1 y−1) and represented ca. 67% of litterfall in control forests. In full-grown cAFS, associated tree leaf-litter contributed to litterfall the most and ranged between 60 and 70% of the total amount recorded (6.3 Mg ha−1 y−1). The quantities and dynamics of the litter components monitored were similar in full-grown S- and F-cAFS. The microclimate was best buffered in forests and least buffered in young S-cAFS but could not be linked to leaf-litter decomposition. Forest leaf litterfall was higher and tended to cycle faster than total leaf-litter of cAFS, whose decomposition appeared limited by cocoa leaf-litter quality. Our study underlines (i) the critical contribution of associated trees to the nutrient cycle of agroecosystems established on poor soils and, (ii) the ability of farmers to channel associated tree communities towards similar functioning despite different past land-uses.
- Published
- 2021
- Full Text
- View/download PDF