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Chemical and microbial properties of semiarid tropical soils of short-term fallows in Burkina Faso, West Africa

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Abstract

In the soudano–sahelian zone of Burkina Faso, the short-term fallow effect on the soil chemical and microbial properties was evaluated. In four farm experiments, two types of fallows were compared with cultivated fields: a natural vegetation fallow and a fallow enriched with Andropogon gayanus. After 5 to 7 years of experiments, soil chemical and microbial characteristics were determined in laboratory for 0–10 cm soil depth. Soil organic carbon (+64%), nitrogen (+35%), microbial biomass (+76%), basal respiration (+141%), and β-glucosidase activity (+86%) were significantly higher in fallows plots than in cultivated fields. The metabolic quotient was not significantly different on fallows compared to the cropped plots. Also, no significant difference was highlighted between natural vegetation fallows and the A. gayanus-enriched one.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the EU project “7ACP RPR 269”. The authors thank all the farmers from Bondoukuy in Burkina Faso for their participation and contribution to the current experiment.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut de l’Environnement et des Recherches Agricoles, Station de Kamboinsé, 01 BP 476, Ouagadougou 01, Burkina Faso

    A. Bilgo & V. Hien

  2. Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, 01 BP 182, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

    D. Masse

  3. Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, BP 434 101, Antananarivo, Madagascar

    G. Serpantié

  4. Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, BP 1386, Dakar, Senegal

    S. Sall

  5. Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, BP 6450, Montpellier, France

    J-L. Chotte

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  1. A. Bilgo
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  4. G. Serpantié
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Correspondence to D. Masse.

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Bilgo, A., Masse, D., Sall, S. et al. Chemical and microbial properties of semiarid tropical soils of short-term fallows in Burkina Faso, West Africa. Biol Fertil Soils 43, 313–320 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-006-0107-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-006-0107-4

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