Abstract
In the SE periphery of Brazilian Amazonia, low-input agriculture systems on sandy loam soils have very low nutrient use efficiency. In a low-input alley cropping system, we measured residue decomposition dynamics and the yield and nutrient uptake of a maize crop associated with the following treatments: Clitoria + Pigeon pea; Acacia + Pigeon pea; Leucaena + Clitoria; Leucaena + Acacia, Leucaena + Pigeon pea and no residue input (control). The acacia treatments provided better soil coverage throughout the whole corn cycle. Potassium was released faster than nitrogen from the residues; N concentration in corn leaves in the residue treatments were below critical levels. The Leucaena + Acacia treatment was the most effective in increasing post-tasseling N and K assimilation and K use efficiency. This resulted in corn productivity 3.5 times greater (7.3 Mg ha−1) than the control without residue application. In the Amazonian sandy loam soils, which are susceptible to hardsetting and nutrient leaching, efficient N and K use should be priorities for soil management. Although no-till alley cropping of leguminous trees constitutes an important option for low-input farming, its efficiency depends on using a mixture of residues that keeps soil covered and have high rates of both N and K release during the entire crop cycle.
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Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Maranhão (FAPEMA) and the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq). The authors would like to thank Christoph Gehring for correction of English language.
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de Moura, E.G., Serpa, S.S., dos Santos, J.G.D. et al. Nutrient use efficiency in alley cropping systems in the Amazonian periphery. Plant Soil 335, 363–371 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-010-0424-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-010-0424-0