Cocoa agroforest multifunctionality and soil fertility explained by shade tree litter traits

Sauvadet Marie, Saj Stéphane, Freschet Grégoire T., Essobo Nieboukaho Jean-Daniel, Enock Seguy, Becquer Thierry, Tixier Philippe, Harmand Jean-Michel. 2020. Cocoa agroforest multifunctionality and soil fertility explained by shade tree litter traits. Journal of Applied Ecology, 57 (3) : 476-487.

Url - jeu de données - Entrepôt autre : https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.dz08kprt6

Quartile : Outlier, Sujet : BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION / Quartile : Q1, Sujet : ECOLOGY

Liste HCERES des revues (en SHS) : oui

Thème(s) HCERES des revues (en SHS) : Economie-gestion

Résumé : Manipulating plant functional diversity to improve agroecosystem multifunctionality is a central challenge of agricultural systems world‐wide. In cocoa agroforestry systems (cAFS) shade trees are used to supply many services to farmers,yet their impact on soil functioning and cocoa yields is likely to vary substantially among tree species. Here we compared the impact of five shade tree species (Canarium schweinfurthii (Canarium), Dacryodes edulis (Safou), Milicia excelsa (Iroko), Ceiba pentandra (Kapok tree), Albizia adianthifolia (Albizia)) and unshaded conditions on the functioning of poor sandy savanna soils within eight cocoa farms in Central Cameroon. We assessed the effects of plant functional traits, leaf litterfall and fine root biomass on a range of soil functions and on cocoa yield. Shade trees generally improved soil pH,and Olsen P content, biomass production of bioassays and soil total C and N content, while leaving cocoa yields unchanged. However, these effects varied largely among species. Improvements of soil functions were low under the two fruit trees (Canarium and Dacryodes), medium under the legume tree Albizia and high under the two timber trees (Milicia and Ceiba). Low litter recalcitrance was most strongly associated with increases in soil fertility indicators such as N and P availability, whereas soil C and N content increased with litter Ca restitution. Synthesis and applications. We demonstrate that cocoa agroforest multifunctionality is substantially influenced by the functional traits of shade tree species. Shade tree species with the most dissimilar traits to cocoa (cocoa showing the lowest leaf litter quality) showed the largest improvement of soil functions. Therefore, selection of shade trees based on their functional traits appears as a promising practice to adequately manage soil functioning. In order to fully assess the beneficial role of shade trees in these agroecosystems. Future research will need to extend this approach to other below‐ground traits and other aspects of multifunctionality such as long‐term cocoa health and yield.

Mots-clés Agrovoc : Theobroma cacao, agroforesterie, arbre d'ombrage, litière forestière, fertilité du sol, Canarium, Dacryodes edulis, Albizia, Ceiba pentandra

Mots-clés géographiques Agrovoc : Cameroun

Mots-clés complémentaires : Canarium schweinfurthii, Milicia excelsa, Albizia adianthifolia

Mots-clés libres : Agroforestry, Cacao, Soil fertility, Plant functional trait, Litter recalcitrance

Classification Agris : F08 - Systèmes et modes de culture
F61 - Physiologie végétale - Nutrition
P35 - Fertilité du sol

Champ stratégique Cirad : CTS 2 (2019-) - Transitions agroécologiques

Auteurs et affiliations

• Sauvadet Marie, IRD (FRA) ORCID: 0000-0002-7520-8565 - auteur correspondant
• Saj Stéphane, CIRAD-PERSYST-UMR SYSTEM (FRA) ORCID: 0000-0001-5856-5459
• Freschet Grégoire T., IRD (FRA)
• Essobo Nieboukaho Jean-Daniel, ICRAF (CMR)
• Enock Seguy, ICRAF (CMR)
• Becquer Thierry, IRD (FRA)
• Tixier Philippe, CIRAD-PERSYST-UPR GECO (FRA) ORCID: 0000-0001-5147-9777
• Harmand Jean-Michel, CIRAD-PERSYST-UMR Eco&Sols (CMR) ORCID: 0000-0002-8065-106X

Source : Cirad-Agritrop (https://agritrop.cirad.fr/594992/)

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