Felix G. F., Clermont Dauphin Cathy, Hien E., Groot J. C. J., Penche A., Barthès Bernard, Manlay R. J., Tittonell P., Cournac Laurent. (2018). Ramial wood amendments (Piliostigma reticulatum) mitigate degradation of tropical soils but do not replenish nutrient exports. Land Degradation and Development, 29 (8), p. 2694-2706. ISSN 1085-3278.
Titre du document
Ramial wood amendments (Piliostigma reticulatum) mitigate degradation of tropical soils but do not replenish nutrient exports
Felix G. F., Clermont Dauphin Cathy, Hien E., Groot J. C. J., Penche A., Barthès Bernard, Manlay R. J., Tittonell P., Cournac Laurent
Source
Land Degradation and Development, 2018,
29 (8), p. 2694-2706 ISSN 1085-3278
Restoring degraded soils to support food production is a major challenge for West African smallholders who have developed local innovations to counter further degradation. The objective of this study was to evaluate a local farmer's technique that uses ramial wood (RW) as soil amendment (Piliostigma reticulatum shrub). Three treatments were applied in an experimental plot in Burkina Faso: control (no amendment), low RW (3Mgfresh mass ha(-1)yr(-1)), and high RW (12Mgfresh mass ha(-1)yr(-1)). RW was chipped to <5-cm pieces and either buried or mulched. Topsoil carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) in control and low-RW treatments declined after 7years of continuous sorghum cultivation. Use of high-RW amendment stabilized soil C content while N and P declined, thus not replenishing nutrient exports. Net contribution to soil C in the layer measuring 0-15cm was 15% of the applied C in the high-RW amendments. Although biomass and grain yields were higher in high-RW treatments, crop productivity declined throughout the experiment for all treatments. Termite casts on RW treatments evidenced the potential role of wood-foraging termites in diluting the impact of RW on soil fertility build-up and soil water content. We conclude that mitigating soil degradation under semiarid conditions in Burkina Faso would require large amounts of woody amendments, particularly if the level of termite activity is high. Additional nutrient sources would be needed to compensate for removal in exported products so that biomass and grain production can be stabilized or increased.
Plan de classement
Pédologie [068]
;
Biologie du sol [074]
Description Géographique
BURKINA FASO ; OUAGADOUGOU ; ZONE SOUDANOSAHELIENNE
