Randriamalala J. R. auteur aut IRD Hervé Dominique auteur aut IRD Randriamboavonjy J. C. auteur aut IRD Carrière Stéphanie M. auteur aut IRD text journalArticle eng text/pdf born digital access The objective of this paper is to determine the effects of tillage regime, cropping duration and fallow age on the diversity, structure and floristic composition of secondary vegetation in a tropical forest of eastern Madagascar. Tillage regime was divided into three categories: (1) no tillage, (2) light tillage (local shallow tillage <10 cm deep) and (3) heavy tillage (tillage of the whole plot, 10-20 cm deep). Cropping duration was divided into three classes: (i) short (1-2 years), (ii) medium (3-4 years) and (iii) long (5-15 years). Eighty-nine fallows subdivided in three regrowth age classes (1-5; 6-10 and 11-29 years) were surveyed. We found that heavy tillage regime was associated with a long cropping duration favouring the establishment of herbaceous and wind-dispersed species and reducing species richness, basal area and maximal height. The recovery of species richness and maximum height was faster under no till compared to heavy tillage. Heavy tillage regime favours proliferation of herbaceous species in the middle age regrowths (6-10 years). Long cropping duration (5-15 years) slowed down the recovery rate of maximal height in the old regrowths (11-29 years). A blockage of secondary succession was never found but a total forest recovery takes a longer time when heavy tillage and long cropping duration were observed. specialized Tropical forest Secondary successions Slash-and-burn Soil preparation Agricultural practices 082 076 155 182-193 2012 0167-8809 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010055982 10.1016/j.agee.2012.03.020 0167-8809 [F B010055982] https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010055982 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/intranet/publi/2012/07/010055982.pdf Accès réservé (Intranet de l'IRD) IRD - Base Horizon / Pleins textes 2012-07-24 2017-08-23 fdi:010055982 fre