Significance of agroecological practices and liming in enhancing soil health and yields for a sustainable tea production in Northern Vietnam

Le Viet San, Herrmann Laetitia, Nguyen Thi Binh, Bräu Lambert, Lesueur Didier. 2022. Significance of agroecological practices and liming in enhancing soil health and yields for a sustainable tea production in Northern Vietnam. . International Alliance for Phytobiomes Research, Colorado State University. Denver : International Alliance for Phytobiomes Research, Résumé, p. 80. International Phytobiomes Conference 2022, Denver, États-Unis, 13 Septembre 2022/15 Septembre 2022.

Résumé : Intensive tea cultivation has caused serious soil health degradation globally, including severe soil acidification, metal toxicity, nutrient leaching and imbalance. Conducted accross 20 different tea plantations from 2019-2021, this project examined the impacts of agroecological management practices (mulch and organic fertilizer applications) on tea soil health indicators, yield and quality, and net income of tea farmers in Northern Vietnam. We showed that agroecological practices enhanced soil physicochemical properties by significantly increasing soil OM content and reducing soil acidity. Soil biological properties, including arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi colonization, soil macro and mesofauna abundance, richness and diversity were also significantly higher in agroecological tea soil and root samples than in conventionally managed tea plots. Despite lower tea yield and yield components, agroecological tea management adopters earned around USD 9200 ha/ year more than the non-adopters. To further counter soil acidification and consequently enhance soil health and crop productivity, lime was applied at a rate of 1.5 tons/ha in 6 agroecological tea plantations. Nine months after application, liming significantly increased soil pH by 0.6 units on average. A significant increase of soil macrofauna abundance and diversity were also observed in lime treatments (average of 122 and 89 individuals/m² in lime and control plots, respectively). Additional analyses will be conducted on soil microbial communities, tea quality indicators and soil nematodes populations. Our results provide a better understanding of the effects of management practices on soil health and tea productivity and can be used to promote sustainable tea management practices, while increasing farmers' income.

Mots-clés libres : Tea plantations, Agroecology, Soil health, Liming applications, Vietnam

Auteurs et affiliations

• Le Viet San, Deakin University (AUS)
• Herrmann Laetitia, Deakin University (AUS)
• Nguyen Thi Binh, NOMAFSI (VNM)
• Bräu Lambert, Deakin University (AUS)
• Lesueur Didier, CIRAD-PERSYST-UMR Eco&Sols (VNM) ORCID: 0000-0002-6694-0869

Source : Cirad-Agritrop (https://agritrop.cirad.fr/603805/)

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