Charcoal consumption and casting activity by Pontoscolex corethrurus (Glossoscolecidae)

The endogeic earthworm Pontoscolex corethrurus (Glossoscolecidae) is a peregrine species commonly found in tropical lands cleared by man for cultivation. We compared the charcoal consumption and casting activity of a population of P. corethrurus from a cultivated area under repeated slash-and-burn (fallow population) with that of a population from a field cultivated after recent burning of a mature forest (forest population). Their cast production was measured in containers in the presence of pure charcoal, soil of fallow and forest origin, or a mixture of charcoal and soil. The forest population defecated less in pure charcoal than in forest soil, whereas the reverse was observed for the fallow population. When living in fallow soil, both populations defecated more at the surface of a mixture of charcoal and soil than at the surface of pure soil (×2 and ×3 with fallow and forest populations, respectively). In forest soil, both populations showed an increased charcoal consumption (×12). In the light of these experiments, we hypothesized that an adaptation of P. corethrurus to charcoal and fallow soil exists, supporting the observed distribution of this earthworm species in tropical open lands.     

Nutrient concentrations and acidity in ferralitic soil under perennial cropping, fallow and primary forest in central Amazonia

The long‐term productivity on the acidic, nutrient‐poor upland soils of central Amazonia depends to a large extent on the chemical soil fertility as influenced by vegetation type and management. We compared soil and soil solution data from permanent cropping, fallow and primary forest on a Xanthic Ferralsol in central Amazonia to evaluate changes of soil fertility following forest conversion, agricultural use at different intensities and setting aside agricultural land. The agricultural systems included a perennial polyculture at two fertilizer inputs and a monoculture plantation. Soil and soil solution were collected to 2 m depth, and the soil solution was monitored over 2 years. Both soil and soil solution data showed decreasing soil fertility in the sequence: monoculture and polyculture at large input, polyculture at small input, forest and fallow. The soil solution data were more sensitive to effects of systems and fertilizer inputs on subsoil fertility. Fractionation of the N in the soil solution showed a larger proportion of dissolved organic N in the N‐poor fallow soil than in the soil under forest and agriculture. The soil under fallow, forest and low‐input agriculture had larger exchangeable acidity than that under high‐input agriculture, but the Al concentrations in the soil solution were very small because there were few cations with which to exchange and less nitrification. In high‐input agriculture, pronounced acidification peaks in the topsoil solution followed fertilization. The comparison of soil and soil solution data explained why the spontaneous vegetation thrives at very large exchangeable acidity in these soils, whereas agricultural systems often depend on liming to reduce the concentration of toxic Al in the soil.     

Soil acidity under multiple land-uses: assessment of perceived causes and indicators,and nutrient dynamics in small-holders’ mixed-farming system of northwest Ethiopia

Knowledge on farmers’ perspectives is of paramount importance in order to design appropriate agricultural research and development interventions attuned to local farming systems. A participatory rural appraisal was conducted in order to understand perceived causes and indicators of soil acidity under multiple land-uses in three Districts of northwest Ethiopia. Soil samples were also collected from five dominant land-uses. The samples were analysed for soil pH, exchangeable acidity and other physico-chemical properties. The result indicated that the pH_(H2O) of most of the soils in the study sites were in a strongly acidic range (4.6–5.5). Gashena Akayita of the Banja District was the most acidic of all. Among the land-uses, eucalyptus fields were the most acidic followed by crop outfields and grazing lands in that order. At all the study sites, exchangeable Al was detected in soils having a pH of less than 5.0. Overall, the nutrient dynamics showed variation across land-uses and study sites. Farmers’ perceived causes of soil acidity included: soil erosion; contending use of fertility replenishing local resources; abandoning traditional fertility management practices and minimal use of external inputs. The farmers attributed the exclusive use of acid-forming inorganic fertilizers to exhaustion of the soil. Various land and soil characteristics, plant growth attributes, changes in genetic diversity were mentioned as indicators of soil acidity. Particularly, the farmers used prevalence of acidophilic weed species on crop fields and grazing lands as marker of strongly acidic soil. Farmers’ perceived causes and indicators were in agreement with scientific facts and can be utilized as input in designing sustainable acid soil management strategies. Decline in genetic diversity of the once widespread crop species and land races, and expansion of newly introduced soil acidity tolerant species, suggests the need to undertake rescue collections in these areas.     

Agricultural suitability of degraded Acrisols and Lixisols of former tea lands in Sri Lanka

Physical and chemical soil degradation hinder the introduction of mixed cropping systems on former tea lands in the Central Highlands of Sri Lanka. For instance on two typical soil catenas soil properties such as texture, pH, acidity parameters, pedogenic oxides and available plant nutrients indicating fertility are presented. Obviously Al³⁺ occupies a larger part of the exchange complex and accounts for more soil acidity than H⁺. Al toxicity is hence a major restricting factor for plant growth in the area. The investigated data also permit an evaluation of soil erodibility and a soil fertility assessment according to the Fertility Capability Classification System (Sanchez et al., 1982). Agricultural measures to reduce soil acidity and cover the lime requirements of the soils are advised. Additional soil conservation measures should diminish soil erosion in order to improve the sustainability of the cropping systems.     

Comparative performance of exotic and indigenous forest species for tropical semievergreen degraded forest land reforestation in Chittagong,Bangladesh

Exotic Acacia arabica, Acacia Auriculiformis, Eucalyptus camaldulensis, and Pinus caribaea, and indigenous Albizia lebbek, Cassia siamea, Chikrassia Tabularis, and Derris robusta were reforested in tropical semievergreen degraded forest lands to evaluate their capability of survival, growth, and biomass production in energy plantations. Three years after reforestation, significant variations in growth and biomass yield production were observed within each category of forest species. Both exotic and indigenous forest species had shown similar capability in the biomass production. Plant height was found a better predictor of biomass production than diameter at breast height. There have been improvements in soil properties under reforestation. Among the forest species, indigenous Cassia siamea and Derris robusta, and exotic Acacia auriculiformis were found highly adaptable, fast-growing, productive, and site improving, suitable for reforestation of degraded lands. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Impact of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) cultivation on some chemical and microbiological properties of an ultisol

Summary Soil samples collected from oil-palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq.) fields of various ages and from adjacent bush fallow were analyzed for macronutrient elements and for total numbers of bacteria and fungi and the most probable number of algae. Nitrogenase activities of soil samples collected from 20-year-old oil-palm plantations were also determined. Oil-palm fields showed increases in total N and total algae but decreases in available P, total C, the base nutrient elements and total bacteria, compared to adjacent bush fallow, but these changes were not statistically significant except for exchangeable Ca. This indicates that oil-palm ecosystems can maintain soil fertility in line with those of fallow lands undergoing soil regeneration in the tropics. Oil-palm soil was also nitrogenase positive — an indication of potential N₂-fixation.     

Fallow residue management effects on upland rice in three agroecological zones of West Africa

Improving fallow quality in upland rice-fallow rotations in West Africa through the site-specific use of leguminous cover crops has been shown to sustain the productivity of such systems. We studied the effects of a range of residue management practices (removal, burning, mulching and incorporation) on fallow biomass and N accumulation, on weed biomass and yield response of upland rice and on changes in soil physical and chemical characteristics in 2-year field trials conducted in three agroecological zones of Côte d'Ivoire. Across fallow management treatments and agroecological zones, rice yields were on average 20–30% higher in legume than in natural fallow plots. Weed biomass was highest in the savanna zone and lowest in the bimodal forest and tended to be less following a legume fallow. Regardless of the type of fallow vegetation and agroecological zone, biomass removal resulted in the lowest rice yields that varied from 0.5?t ha^–1 in the derived savanna zone to 1.5?t ha^–1 in the Guinea savanna zone. Burning of the fallow vegetation significantly increased yield over residue removal in the derived savanna (0.27?t ha^–1, P<0.05) and bimodal forest zones (0.27?t ha^–1, P<0.01), but not in the Guinea savanna. In both savanna environments, residue incorporation was superior to the farmers' practice of residue removal and rice yield increases were related to amounts of fallow N returned to the soil (r²=0.803, P<0.01). In the forest zone, the farmers' practice of residue burning produced the highest yield (1.43?t ha-1 in the case of legumes) and resulted in the lowest weed biomass (0.02?t ha^–1). Regardless of the site, improving the quality of the fallow or of its management had no significant effects on either soil physical or soil chemical characteristics after two fallow cycles. We conclude that incorporation of legume residues is a desirable practice for rice-based fallow rotation systems in savanna environments. No promising residue management alternatives to slash-and-burn were apparent for the forest zone. Determining the possible effects on soil productivity will require longer-term experiments.     

桂西北喀斯特地区不同土地利用类型土壤抗蚀性研究

土壤抗蚀性是反映土壤抵抗侵蚀能力的重要参数之一,是土壤侵蚀研究的重要内容。本文选取土壤有机质、水稳性团聚体、团聚体结构破坏率、团聚状况、团聚度、分散率和<0.05 mm粉黏粒含量等7个指标,通过单因素方差分析及主成分分析,探讨了桂西北喀斯特地区5种不同土地利用类型土壤抗蚀性的差异。结果表明:原生林和次生林土壤有机质含量显著(P<0.05)高于撂荒地、坡耕地和人工林,撂荒地土壤有机质含量较坡耕地和人工林高,但差异不显著。原生林、次生林及撂荒地土壤>0.25 mm水稳性团聚体总量及团聚状况显著高于坡耕地及人工林,但其土壤团聚体结构破坏率及分散率显著低于坡耕地;人工林土壤团聚体结构破坏率显著高于次生林,但与原生林、撂荒地和坡耕地差异不显著;人工林土壤分散率则与坡耕地类似,显著低于原生林、次生林及撂荒地;原生林、次生林土壤团聚度与撂荒地、坡耕地差异不显著,但显著高于人工林;次生林、撂荒地及人工林<0.05 mm粉黏粒含量与原生林、坡耕地差异不显著,但坡耕地土壤<0.05 mm粉黏粒含量显著高于原生林。由主成分分析综合评分得到土壤抗蚀性强弱顺序为:原生林>次生林>撂荒地>坡耕地>人工林。因此,喀斯特地区人为干扰严重降低了土壤的抗蚀性,耕地通过撂荒方式能够提高土壤抗蚀性。     

Recovery of soil macronutrients following shifting cultivation and ethnopedology of the Adi community in the Eastern Himalaya

Shifting cultivation involves a cycle of forest clearing, cultivation and a fallow phase. As the practice involves clearing forest, it is considered unsustainable and leads to soil fertility loss and erosion. While several variations of the practice exist, traditional communities undertake the practice systematically with relatively long fallow periods and are often knowledgeable about their landscape in terms of soil and its management. To better understand one such system, we quantified soil recovery following cultivation in terms of macronutrients and documented the traditional knowledge of the Adi community in a remote site in the Eastern Himalaya. We collected soil samples from three replicates, each from currently cultivated sites, uncut forest sites and successional sites 3, 12 and 25 yr following cultivation. Available nitrogen and phosphorus significantly increased, and there was an increasing trend in soil organic matter following cultivation. The Adi differentiated nine types of soil and preferred specific soil types for shifting and settled cultivation. We documented soil management and methods of soil fertility retention practised by the Adi. Their location of different crops in the field was based on the effect of the crop on soil fertility. Our research indicated that soil nutrient recovery was considerable following cultivation and that traditional shifting cultivators in the landscape were knowledgeable about their landscape in terms of soil diversity, undertaking practices to manage soil erosion and fertility. Future policies that will affect shifting cultivation in the region should acknowledge such systematic use of a landscape by traditional farming communities.     

Manioc peel and charcoal: a potential organic amendment for sustainable soil fertility in the tropics

In tropical areas, where crop production is limited by low soil quality, the development of techniques improving soil fertility without damage to the environment is a priority. In French Guiana, we used subsistence farmer plots on poor acidic soils to test the effect of different organic amendments, bitter manioc peel (M), sawdust (Sw) and charcoal (Ch), on soil nutrient content, earthworm abundance and yard-long bean (Vigna unguiculata sesquipedalis) production. The peregrine Pontoscolex corethrurus was the only earthworm species found. Pod production and plant growth were lowest in unamended soil. The application of a mixture of manioc peel and charcoal (M + Ch) improved legume production compared with other organic mixtures. It combined the favourable effects of manioc peel and charcoal. Manioc peel improved soil fertility through its low C:N ratio and its high P content, while charcoal decreased soil acidity and exchangeable Al and increased Ca and Mg availability, thus alleviating the possible toxic effects of Al on plant growth. The M + Ch treatment was favourable to P. corethrurus, the juvenile population of which reached a size comparable to that of the nearby uncultivated soil. The application of a mixture of manioc peel and charcoal, by improving crop production and soil fertility and enhancing earthworm activity, could be a potentially efficient organic manure for legume production in tropical areas where manioc is cultivated under slash-and-burn shifting agriculture.     

大兴安岭林区落叶松林地不同发育阶段土壤肥力演变与评价

 以大兴安岭林区不同发育阶段兴安落叶松人工林和天然次生林为研究对象,采用野外调查和定量分析相结合的方法,对林地土壤有机质、土壤腐殖质组成、土壤酸度指标及其主要养分含量的变化进行测定和分析。利用主成分分析的方法,以各主成分特征贡献率为权重,加权计算各林地土壤肥力综合指标值。结果表明:随着林龄的增长,不同发育阶段落叶松人工林土壤酸度总体呈现升高的趋势,土壤有酸化的迹象;全磷和速效钾呈现降低的趋势;有机质、水解氮、胡敏酸和胡敏素含量在近熟林略有升高,但总体呈现降低的趋势。土壤肥力评价结果为:天然林>幼龄林>近熟林>中龄林>成熟林,即随着林龄的增长,土壤肥力迅速下降,其主要原因是林地凋落物分解缓慢。因此,建议通过适度提高林地抚育强度,调整群落结构,增加林地光照,诱导天然阔叶树种进入,形成针阔混交林的调控措施,调节落叶松人工纯林凋落物分解与积累的矛盾,以维持地力平衡和提高林地生产力。     

Soil ecological study on dynamics of K,Mg, and Ca,and soil acidity in shifting cultivation in Northern Thailand

Abstract

Soil degradation caused by excessive land use is presently one of the major constraints on sustainable agriculture in the mountainous area of northern Thailand. In order to obtain basic information about soil fertility problems involved in the transition from traditional shifting cultivation to more intensive upland farming, the dynamics of K, Mg, and Ca, and soil acidity in the farming systems of both Karen and Hmong/Thai peoples were investigated. In the fields that lay fallow for more than 5 y, the soils were highly acidic and poor in exchangeable bases, mainly due to the fact that the fallow vegetation rapidly absorbed inorganic bases (K, Mg, and Ca) in the soils. In the fields both under fallow and cropping within 3 y after the slash and burn practice, the high acidity observed in the soils at the fallow stage seemed to be alleviated by ash input with high alkalinity. The aboveground biomass ranged from 9 to 10 t ha^?1 in the 8 y fallow field and the sum of inorganic bases and alkalinity, which were expected to be added to the soils with ash input, ranged from 3 to 4 kmol( + ) ha^?1 or kmol(-) ha^?1 , respectively. In the fields under continuous cultivation for more than 4 y after the slash and burn practice, the subsoils showed a more acidic nature than in the fields immediately after burning. Judging from the high concentrations of inorganic bases in the soil solution from the subsoils, the decrease of the content of exchangeable bases and resulting soil acidification might have proceeded through leaching loss of these bases. Among the exchangeable bases in the soils, Ca and Mg were generally predominant and K occurred as trace. Comparison of the total contents of the bases with the contents of exchangeable ones showed that most of Ca occurred in an exchangeable form while most of K and Mg occurred in the nonexchangeable forms in the soils. Therefore, Ca was likely to be readily depleted along with soil acidification in continuous cultivation.     

Legumes as dry season fallow in upland rice-based systems of West Africa

Declining fallow length in traditional upland rice-based cropping systems in West Africa results in a significant yield reduction due mainly to increased weed pressure and declining soil fertility. Promising cropping system alternatives include the use of weed-suppressing legumes as short duration fallows. N accumulation, N derived from the atmosphere (Ndfa), weed suppression, and the effects on rice yield were evaluated in 50 legumes, grown at four sites in Côte d'Ivoire with contrasting climate, soils, and rice production systems. The sites were located in the derived and the Guinea savanna and in the bimodal and the monomodal rainfall forest zones. Legume and weed biomass during the fallow were determined at bimonthly intervals. Percent Ndfa by biological N fixation was determined by ¹⁵N natural abundance. Fallow vegetation was cleared and rice seeded according to the practice of local farmers and the cropping calendar. Weed biomass and species composition were monitored at monthly intervals. Legume fallows appear to offer the potential to sustain rice yields under intensified cropping. Biomass was in most instances significantly greater in the legume fallow than in the "weedy" fallow control, and several legume species suppressed weed growth. N accumulation by legumes varied between 1–270?kg N ha^–1 with 30–90%?Ndfa. Across sites, Mucuna spp., Canavalia spp., and Stylosanthes guianensis showed consistently high N accumulation. Grain yields of rice which had been preceded by a legume fallow were on average 0.2?Mg ha^–1 or about 30% greater than that preceded by a natural weedy fallow control. At the savanna sites where fallow vegetation was incorporated, Mucuna spp. and Canavalia ensiformis significantly increased rice yield. In the bimodal forest zone, the highest rice yield and lowest weed biomass were obtained with Crotalaria anagyroides. In general, the effects of legume fallows on rice yield were most significant in environments with favourable soil and hydrological conditions.     

Carbon status and structural stability of soils from differing land use systems in the Kingdom of Tonga

Maintenance of soil carbon stocks is vital for the environment at large and for maintenance of soil chemical, physical and biological fertility. Tonga represents a country in agricultural transition from subsistence to commercial production and whilst this is good for the national economy the impact on soil resources is less clear. The major cropped soils, fallow vegetation types and forest systems of Tonga were identified in each island group and samples of representative soils (0.15 m depth) from each land use unit were taken. Total carbon (C_T) and δ¹³C were measured and labile carbon (C_L) determined by oxidation with 333 mm KMnO₄. These data were used to determine the carbon management index (CMI) and the proportion of carbon from C4 species in the C_T pool. Relative to primary forest, the soil C_T and C_L generally declined with changes in vegetation and more intense mechanical tillage. The contribution of C4 plants to soil C increased with intensity of mechanical tillage and the prevalence of C4 guinea grass (Panicum maximum Jacquin) fallow. The changes in soil C were reflected in the CMI, and C_L was a more sensitive indicator of change than C_T. These data indicates that all land use systems have experienced a large net loss of soil C relative to the forest systems. Soil mean weight diameter (MWD) decreased significantly with increased intensity of mechanical tillage and to a lesser extent with the intensity and length of cropping. The relationship between soil MWD and soil C was similar with soil C_T and C_L. Grass fallow was as effective as permanent vegetation systems in improving soil MWD and lowering the micro‐aggregate (<125 μm) fraction.     

低山丘陵区不同坡位茶园土壤肥力特征研究

南方低山丘陵区是我国茶园的集中分布区域, 研究其土壤肥力状况是改善茶园土壤养分状况、实现茶叶安全高效生产和可持续发展的基础.选择川西茶区典型低山丘陵茶园, 通过野外调查与样带采样研究土壤养分性质, 利用主成分分析等多元统计方法定量化比较了不同坡位及对照间土壤肥力质量.结果表明: (1)茶园土壤中砂粒含量最高, 平均占总量的39.13%, 其次是黏粒, 粉粒含量居第3位;土壤pH低于4.5, 有机质和全氮含量较低, 速效氮含量较高, 速效磷缺乏, 速效钾变化不显著.与林地、撂荒地相比, 茶园土壤各粒级含量变化规律不明显.有机质和全氮除在下坡位略高于撂荒地外, 其他坡位均小于撂荒地和林地;速效养分变化规律不显著.(2)茶园土壤肥力沿坡面变化明显, 以上坡位为基准, 土壤肥力指数PI值为零, 中坡位PI值(-13.64%)低于上坡位PI值(0)和下坡位PI值(14.39%).(3)与撂荒地、林地相比, 茶园的土壤肥力综合指数QI值最低.茶园、撂荒地、林地的QI值分别为0.56、1.11和2.73.     

Factors affecting the nutrient status of forest sites in a mountain watershed in Nepal

Soil and foliage samples were collected from 136 sample sites in forested areas of the Dhulikhel Watershed, Nepal. Analyses showed that the soils have small values for pH, base saturation, total nitrogen, carbon and available phosphorus. Sample sites were stratified on the basis of aspect and elevation, soil type, forest type and management and the strata were compared to determine the influence of site factors on forest soil fertility. Soils on south-facing slopes at low elevation contained significantly less total nitrogen and organic carbon compared with soils from north-facing slopes at high elevation. Foliage of both sal (Shorea robusta Gaertn.) and chir pine (Pinus roxburghii Sargent) growing on red soils (Rhodustults and Haplustults) contained significantly less phosphorus compared with non-red soils (Ustochrepts and Dystrochrepts). Soils under stands of sal have the poorest soil fertility levels in comparison with chir pine and hardwood sites. The continuous removal of base-rich litter from sal sites may account for the poor fertility conditions. Soil fertility levels are greater on sites which have been protected from biomass removal for at least 15 years relative to sites which have come under protection in the past 7 years.     

Past and future trajectories of forest loss in New Zealand

Historically, New Zealand was dominated by forest below the alpine treeline, but about 1000 years of Polynesian and European colonisation has resulted in the destruction of nearly three-quarters of the indigenous forest cover. In this study, the historical patterns of deforestation and forest fragmentation were assessed in relation to major topographical, climatic and anthropogenic variables that may drive forest loss. Deforestation has occurred almost equally on the two main islands, the North and South Islands, although the remaining indigenous forest is more fragmented in the North Island. Most deforestation has occurred in regions with a high-density of road networks, although gradients in climatic water availability and soil fertility also had weak effects. Deforestation rates over the period 1997-2002 were very low (nationwide deforestation rate of just −0.01% p.a.), but varied widely among political districts. Expansion of plantation forestry was the single most important driver of recent deforestation. Only 10 of 73 political districts are afforded long-term protection of native forest cover (having more than 30% forest cover that is managed by the Department of Conservation). Forest cover in the majority of New Zealand landscapes has been reduced below the level of an expected ‘extinction threshold’ (circa 30% native habitat cover) in 55 political districts, and long-term trajectories predict that ongoing deforestation threatens to force another five districts below the critical threshold within the next 45 years. Except for the most heavily deforested regions, relatively modest annual rates of habitat restoration could bring forest cover back above the extinction threshold by the year 2050.     

Effect of improved fallow on crop productivity, soil fertility and climate-forcing gas emissions in semi-arid conditions

The impacts of fallow on soil fertility, crop production and climate-forcing gas emissions were determined in two contrasting legumes, Gliricidia sepium and Acacia colei, in comparison with traditional unamended fallow and continuous cultivation systems. After 2 years, the amount of foliar material produced did not differ between the two improved fallow species; however, grain yield was significantly elevated by 55% in the first and second cropping season after G. sepium compared with traditional fallow. By contrast, relative to the unamended fallow, a drop in grain yield was observed in the first cropping season after A. colei, followed by no improvement in the second. G. sepium had higher foliar N, K and Mg, while A. colei had lower foliar N but higher lignin and polyphenols. In the third year after fallow improvement, a simulated rainfall experiment was performed on soils to compare efflux of N₂O and CO₂. Improved fallow effects on soil nutrient composition and microbial activity were demonstrated through elevated N₂O and CO₂ efflux from soils in G. sepium fallows compared with other treatments. N₂O emissions were around six times higher from this nitrogen-fixing soil treatment, evolving 69.9 ngN₂O–N g⁻¹soil h⁻¹ after a simulated rainfall event, compared with only 8.5 and 4.8 ngN₂O–N g⁻¹soil h⁻¹ from soil under traditional fallow and continuous cultivation, respectively. The findings indicate that selection of improved fallows for short-term fertility enhancement has implications for regional N₂O emissions for dry land regions.     

Nutrient concentrations and NH4+‐N mineralization under different soil types and fallow forms in southern Cameroon

To evaluate the soil‐fertility sustainability of the fallow systems, nutrient concentrations and NH₄⁺‐N mineralization were determined in different soil and fallow types in the humid forest zone of southern Cameroon. Two experiments were conducted, the first comprised planted leguminous tree Calliandra calothyrsus, planted leguminous Pueraria phaseoloides, and regrowth mainly composed of Chromolaena odorata on the Typic Kandiudult. The second experiment made up of a fallow dominated by C. odorata, a fallow with C. odorata removed, and a P. phaseoloides fallow on the Rhodic Kandiudult, Typic Kandiudult, and Typic Kandiudox. In the first experiment, available P, Ca²⁺, K⁺ concentrations and effective CEC under C. calothyrsus were, respectively, 40%, 22%, 45%, and 15% lower when compared to P. phaseoloides but no differences were found between soils under P. phaseoloides and C. odorata. Mineralization of NH₄⁺‐N was higher under C. calothyrsus than under C. odorata‐ and P. phaseoloides‐fallow types, indicating the impoverishment of organic material under the former. In the second experiment, the beneficial effect of P. phaseoloides was found in the Rhodic Kandiudult in the 0–10 cm layer throughout its low NH₄⁺ release from mineralization. In the Typic Kandiudult, no differences in NH₄⁺‐N mineralization were found between C. odorata and P. phaseoloides fallows. In the Typic Kandiudox, there was no difference in NH₄⁺ mineralization between the three fallow types. According to the nutrient concentrations and NH₄⁺ mineralization, the fertility sustainability of the different fallow types may be ranked as follow: P. phaseoloides ≥ C. odorata > C. calothyrsus > fallow without C. odorata.     

Ecological study on the dynamics of soil organic matter and its related properties in shifting cultivation systems of Northern Thailand

Abstract

There is a large number of hill people in northern Thailand, who practices shifting cultivation. In order to analyze the soil ecological problems involved in the transition from traditional shifting cultivation to more intensive upland farming, the authors carried out comparative studies on the dynamics of organic matter and its related properties in soils both in the traditional shifting cultivation systems adopted by Karen people and more intensive upland farming practiced by Thai and Hmong people in the area. The contents of organic matter and available N in the surface 10 cm layers of soil from the fields continuously cultivated were lower than those in soils under prolonged fallow (more than 10 y) or natural forest. Based on the rate of soil respiration, the amount of organic matter decomposed within 1 y was estimated to reach nearly 10% of that stored in the upper 50 cm layers of the soil profile in the upland crop fields. These results indicate that the organic matter-related resources markedly decreased under continuous cropping. The contents of C, N, and P in the microbial biomass of the surface 10 cm layers of soil ranged from 0.37 to 2.09 mg C g^?l soil, from 22.7 to 188 µg N g^?l soil, and from 6.1 to 65.7 µg P g^?l soil, respectively. Since the contents of microbial C, N, and P in the surface soils were generally higher under prolonged fallow and natural forests than in the fields continuously cultivated, the microbial activity and/or the amounts of C, N, and P available for biological activity seemed to have declined under continuous upland farming. The incubation experiment to assess the N mineralization pattern showed two remarkable characteristics: 1) there was an initial time lag until active mineralization of N occurred in the soils from young fallow forest and 2) the soil burning effect was observed after burning in the fields under prolonged fallow. The active process of nitrification after N mineralization was always associated with a sharp fall in soil pH, suggesting that soil acidification was promoted and basic cations were lost from the soils. In conclusion, rapid deterioration of the soil organic matter-related properties in cropping fields can be considered to be one of the ecological reasons why upland fields must be returned to fallow again a few years after forest reclamation in traditional shifting cultivation systems. Therefore, in alternative farming systems with more intensive land use, it is essential to apply organic materials into soils to decrease the rate of soil degradation, or to improve the soil fertility, in avoiding soil acidification along with nitrification.