Productivity, Leaf Nutrient Content and Soil Carbon Stocked in Agroforestry and Traditional Management of Maize (&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;Zea mays&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt; L.)

Maria J A Bertalot,Mauro S V Pinto,Iraê A Guerrini,Eduardo Mendoza

doi:10.4236/ajps.2014.56101

Abstract

The aim of the work was to evaluate the productivity, leaf nutrient content and soil nutrient concentration in maize (Zea mays L.) grown in sequence with black oats (Avena strigosa Schreb.) under Leucaena diversifolia alley cropping agroforestry system (AFS) and traditional management system/sole crop (without trees-TS), after two years of cultivation following a randomized block design. The experiment was carried out in the Brazilian Association of Biodynamic Agriculture, in Botucatu—S?o Paulo, Brazil. Treatments were: control (C), chemical fertilizer application (F), biomass of L. diversifolia alley cropping application (B), biomass of L. diversifolia alley cropping + chemical fertilizer application (B + F). In the second year of management it was observed that black oat yield was higher in treatments B + F and F with significant difference in relation to the others treatments in both systems, followed by treatment B. Between systems, only treatment B showed significant difference, with higher yield value corresponding to AFS, reflecting the efficiency of AFS to promote soil fertility. Maize production presented the second year of cultivation an increasing trend in all treatments in both production systems. This result may be due to the cumulative effect of mineralization and maize straw and oats, along the experiment. How productivity was higher in the AFS system, could also be occurring effect of biological nitrogen fixation, water retention and reduction of extreme microclimate through the rows of L. diversifolia. Comparing the AFS and TS, it was observed that the concentration of N in leaf tissue was higher in the AFS treatments, probably due to nitrogen fixation performed through the rows of L. diversifolia, that is a nitrogen fixing tree species. After two years, carbon stocked in soil show higher values in the treatments biomass + fertilizer and biomass application, in both systems, AFS and TS.

Highlights

Agroforestry systems are agricultural practices with low energy demand, inputs and/or resources, as well as productive and sustainable systems and combine trees and shrubs and food crops and/or forage [1]-[5]
The objective of the present study was to evaluate the productivity, leaf nutrient content soil fertility and carbon stocked in soil in an agroforestry system with Leucaena diversifolia and a traditional system, after two years of cultivation of maize (Zea mays) in rotation with black oats (Avena strigosa)
Dry matter yield of black oats obtained in the first year of management was 6.00, 7.37, 6.19 and 8.13 t∙ha−1 for treatments C, F, B and B + F, respectively in agroforestry system (AFS)

Summary

Introduction

Agroforestry systems are agricultural practices with low energy demand, inputs and/or resources, as well as productive and sustainable systems and combine trees and shrubs (especially species of legumes) and food crops and/or forage [1]-[5]. Trees or shrubs are pruned regularly to use biomass as green manure and/or firewood, with the main objective of improving soil fertility and/or quality fodder. This system promotes the use of green manure (Kang et al, 1990 [4]; MacDicken and Vergara, 1990 [7]; Bertalot et al, 2004 [8]; Primavesi, 1981 [9]; Schumacher et al, 2003 [10]; Schumacher et al, 2004 [11]). 2010 [12]; Bertalot et al, 2008 [13] and Schmitz (2012) [14] reported higher production and economical gains in Leucaena diversifolia alley cropping systems with maize grown in rotation with black oats

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