Carbon, Nitrogen and Phosphorus Mineralization Potential of Native Agroforestry Plant Residues in Soils of Senegal

Nitrogen species specific phosphorus mineralization in temperate floodplain soils

As an essential component of enzymes, higher N availability from agricultural runoff to forest soils may boost the activity of phosphatase, increasing the bioavailability of phosphate. The objective of this study was to evaluate P mineralization rates in temperate floodplain soils as a function of inorganic N species (i.e., ammonium and nitrate) and amendment rate (1.5-3.5 g N kg^-1). Accordingly, the soil was amended with nitrate and ammonium, and P dynamics were monitored during a 40-day incubation. The addition of ammonium significantly boosted acid and alkaline phosphatase activity by 1.39 and 1.44 µmol p-nitrophenol P (pNP) g^-1 h^-1, respectively. The degree of increase was positively correlated with the amendment rate. Likewise, the P mineralization rate increased by 0.27 mg P kg^-1 in the 3.5 g N kg^-1 ammonium treatment. ³¹P nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopic analysis further supported the reduction in organic orthophosphate diesters on day 30. Meanwhile, the addition of nitrate promoted P mineralization to a lesser degree but did not increase phosphatase activity. While floodplain soils have great potential to sequester anthropogenic P, high availability of inorganic N, especially ammonium, could promote P mineralization, potentially increasing P fertility and/or reducing P the sequestration capacity of floodplain soils.

Effects of native leaf litter amendments on phosphorus mineralization in temperate floodplain soils

As phosphorus (P) losses from Midwestern crop fields degrade water quality in downstream water bodies, the assessment of natural P immobilization in floodplain soils is imperative to reduce P input to the Gulf of Mexico. While the organic C:P ratio of soil is widely accepted as an important indicator of P immobilization, roles of the quality/type of C sources (i.e., foliar C composition and degradability) on soil P dynamics are not clearly understood. The objective of this laboratory incubation study was to assess the influence of leaf residue of native trees (e.g., hackberry, and silver maple) on P reaction dynamics in floodplain soils as a function of C composition (i.e., carbonyl-, alkyl- and aromatic-C) and soil organic C:P ratios. Conventional wet chemical analyses and ³¹P NMR spectroscopy were used to understand changes in P speciation and phosphatase activities. During the incubation, at a soil organic C:P of ∼200, residues with low aromaticity promoted P mineralization, as evidenced by a sustained increase in labile inorganic P and decrease in microbial P. Conversely, residues with high aromaticity and hydrophobicity (i.e., silver maple) caused a decrease in labile inorganic P and increase in microbial P under the same soil organic C:P, indicating the dominance of P immobilization. At a soil organic C:P of 300, both sugar maple and silver maple promoted P immobilization. Mineralization rates were of lesser magnitude in the soils amended with silver maple, which interestingly contained the largest proportions of recalcitrant C and the highest ratios of aromaticity and hydrophobicity.

Enhancing agroecosystem productivity with woody perennials in semi-arid West Africa. A meta-analysis

Soil degradation in semi-arid West Africa can be reversed through an intensified application of organic matter, especially on coarse soils. Woody perennials have been promoted in the region to secure organic matter sources and improve soil productive capacity, yet the mechanisms by which perennials provide benefits to soils and crops remain poorly understood, and no effective, generalizable agronomic recommendations exist. Here, we reviewed the effects of trees and shrubs on soil properties and on crop yields in semi-arid West Africa (< 1000 mm year^-1). Specific objectives of this meta-analysis were to (i) describe and (ii) quantify the effects of the presence of woody perennials and of ramial wood amendments on crop productivity and soil characteristics, and (iii) identify general recommendations on the integration of perennials with crops. An iterative keyword search was conducted to gather relevant literature. The search string consisted of four parts: source, practice, responses, and countries of interest. In total, 26 references on agroforestry parklands and 21 on woody amendments were included in the meta-database (314 entries, 155 for parklands, and 159 for ramial wood). We show that (1) the presence of shrubs and trees on agricultural fields had an overall positive but variable effect on soil total C (i.e. + 20 to 75%); (2) millet and sorghum yields were often higher in the presence of shrubs (- 25 to + 120%); (3) more variability was observed in the presence of trees (- 100 to + 200%); and (4) the use of shrub- and tree-based ramial wood resulted in equal or higher cereal yields as compared to the control (- 30 to + 100%). Upscaling the use of biodiversity-driven processes in farming systems of West Africa may provide benefits to overall ecosystems, but species' choice and trade-offs perceived at the farm level, including labour management and low ramial wood availability, should be addressed through future research.