Abstract
The impact of contour hedgerow systems on soil sustainability under acidic conditions has been widely criticized. A study was undertaken to determine the effects of management and hedgerow species on soil properties. Cassia spectabilis (a non-N-fixing tree legume), Gliricidia sepium (an N-fixing tree legume), Pennisetum purpureum (a forage grass), and Stylosanthes guyanensis (a forage legume) contour barriers were compared with an open field (non-hedgerow treatment) over 1 cowpea and 2 rice seasons. Three types of management viz.: prunings applied + N0P0K0, prunings applied + N50P20K20 and prunings removed + N50P20K20 were used as subplot treatments. The soils were strongly acidic (pH 4.5) and classified as clay Orthoxic Palehumult. Cassia performed better than the other species in terms of pruning biomass, N and P contributions over a period of 20 months. There was a combined positive effect of pruning biomass and fertilizers on rice and cowpea yields in Pennisetum and Gliricidia systems, while a tendency towards a positive effect of pruning biomass on rice was found in the Cassia system. The pruning biomass and/or fertilizer application did not significantly influence the top soil organic C, N and available P in the hedgerow systems. Soil bulk density was significantly reduced by the application of Cassia prunings after 12 months. Organic C, N and P dynamics indicated that in situ pruning biomass was not sufficient to maintain their level in the soil. But the cassia systems with prunings applied + N50P20K20 experienced the lowest degradation in soil organic C (2.1 t ha−1) followed by the Gliricidia systems (4.1 t ha−1). The overall results imply that the application of pruning and inorganic fertilizer is imperative to conserve soil resources, and non- N-fixing tree species can exert a significant advantage in biomass and thereby in soil N-recycling under acidic soil.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Black CA, Evans DD, White JL, Ensminger LE and Clark FE (1965) Method of soil analysis. Part II. Am Soc Agron, Madison, USA: 1572
Blake GR and Hartge KH (1986) Bulk density. In: Klute A (ed) Methods of soil analysis. Part I. Physical and Mineralogical Methods. 2nd ed. Agron Monogr No 9, pp 363–375. ASA-SSA, Madison, USA
Bray RH and Kurtz LT (1945) Soil Sci 59: 39–45
Cochran WG and Cox GM (1957) Experimental Design: 302–311
Crassswell ET and Castillo EG (1979) A convenient device for taking large undistributed samples of paddy soil. International Rice Research Newsletter 4(4): 22
Dalland A, Vaje PI, Mathews RB and Singh BR (1993) The potential of alley cropping in improvement of cultivation systems in high rainfall areas of Zambia. III. Effects on chemical and physical properties. Agrofor Syst 21: 117–132
Fernandes ECM, Davey CB and Nelson LA (1993) Alley cropping on an acid soil in the upper Amazon: Mulch, fertilizer and hedgerow pruning effects. ASA special publication 56: 77–96. American Society of Agronomy, Madison, WI, USA
Fujisaka S and Garrity DP (1989) Farmers and Scientists: a joint effort in upland soil conservation research and technology transfer. Paper presented at the International Workshop on Conservation Farming on Hill Slopes, 20–29 March 1989, Taichung, Taiwan
Garrity DP, Mercado Jr. A and Solera C (1992) The nature of species interference and soil changes in contour hedgerow systems on sloping acidic lands. Paper presented at the International conference on Alley farming in IITA, Ibadan, Nigeria, 14–18 September
Garrity DP and Mercado Jr AR (1994) Nitrogen fixation capacity in the component species of contour hegerows: how important? Agrofor Syst 27: 241–258
IRRI (International Rice Research Institute) (1978) Soils and Rice. Los Banos, Philippines
Israel DW and Jackson WA (1978) The influence of nitrogen nutrition on ion uptake and translocation in leguminous plants. In: Andrew CS and Kamprath EJ (eds) Mineral nutrition of legumes in tropical and subtropical soils C.S. IRO, pp 113–129. Melbourne, Australia
Jackson, ML (1962) Soil chemical analysis. Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, USA, 46 pp
Kang BT, Wilson GF and Spikens L (1981) Alley cropping maize (Zea maize) and Leucaena (Leucaena leucocaephala Lam.) in Southern Nigeria. Plant and Soil 63: 165–179
Kang BT, Reynolds L and Atta-Krah AN (1990) Alley Farming. Advances in Agron 43: 315–359
Ladha JK, Peoples MB, Garrity DP, Capuno VT and Dart PJ (1993) Estimating dinitrogen fixation of hedgerow vegetation using the nitrogen-15 natural abundance method. Soil Sci Soc Am J 57: 732–737
Lal R (1989) Agroforestry systems and soil surface management of a tropical alfisol. Agrofor Syst 8: 113–132
Maclean RH, Litsinger JA, Moody K and Watson AK (1992) The impact of alley cropping Gliricidia sepium and Cassia spectabilis on upland rice and maize production. Agrofor Syst 20: 213–228
Mengel K and Kirkby EA (1987) Principles of plant nutrition. 4th ed, pp 247–492, International Potash Institute, Bern, Switzerland
Munns DN (1978) Soil acidity and nodulation. In: Andrew CS and Kanprath EJ (eds) Mineral nutrition of legumes in tropical and subtropical soils, vol 26, pp 47–52. Commonwealth Sci Indus Res Org Melbourne, Australia
Nair, PKR (1984) Soil productivity aspects of agroforestry science and practice of Agroforestry. ICRAF, Nairobi 85: 164
Nye, PH (1984) pH changes and phosphate solubilization near roots — an example of coupled diffusion processes. Roots, nutrients and water influx, and plant growth: 90–99
Ojeniyi SO and Agbede OO (1980) Effect of interplanting Gmelina arborea with food crops on soil condition Turrialba 30(3): 268–271
Sanchez PA (1987) In: Steppler HA and Nair PKR (eds) Agroforestry: a decade of development, pp 205–223. ICRAF, Nairobi, Kenya
SAS (1988) SAS/STAT User's Guide. Statistical Analysis System Institute, Cary, NC. 620 pp
Soriano Jr HM (1991) Soil fertility and productivity aspects of alley cropping schemes using leguminous trees as hedgerows and corn (Zea mays L) as an alley crop. A PhD dissertation, UPLB, Philippines
Szott LT, Palm CA and Sanchez PA (1991) Agroforestry in acid soils of the humid tropics. Adv in Agron 45: 275–301
Szott LT (1987) Improving the production of shifting cultivation in the Amazan Basin of Peru through the use of leguminous vegetation. PhD dissertation, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, 168 pp
Varley JA (1966) Automatic method for the determination of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in plants materials. Analyst: 191–126
Yamoah CF, Agboola AA and Wilson GF (1986) Agrofor Syst 4: 247–254
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Samsuzzaman, S., Garrity, D.P. & Quintana, R.U. Soil property changes in contour hedgerow systems on sloping land in the Philippines. Agroforestry Systems 46, 251–272 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006049711801
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006049711801