Plant species richness in agroforestry systems correlates to soil fertility in the humid tropic of Mexico

Given the importance of agroforestry systems (AFS) in mitigating the impact of agriculture on the ecosystems and environment, it is critical to understand the efect of plant species richness in diverse tropical AFS on their soil properties. The objective of this study was to evaluate the role of different AFS in the conservation of plant species richness, and their efect on soil physical and chemical properties. We compared plant species richness and soil properties among six AFS by sampling 63 plots in the humid tropics. Sampled AFS include: (1) home garden (HG), (2) shade trees in plantation (ShTP), (3) live fences (LF), (4) scattered trees in paddocks (ScTP), (5) grazing under plantation (GP), and (6) slash and burn agriculture (SBA). The vegetation community in each plot was recorded by scientifc name and species richness was calculated. Soil samples were collected from 0 to 10 and 10 to 20 cm depth and analyzed for pH, organic matter (OM), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), electrical conductivity (EC), cation exchange capacity (CEC), and texture. The highest plant species richness was found in HG (125), ShTP (121), and ScTP (89), followed by GP (56), LF (35), and SBA (4). This richness of plant species infuenced the soil N (r=0.514, P=0.028), P (r=0.480, P=0.514), and OM contents (r=0.439, P=0.067), as well as CEC (r=0.402, P=0.097), EC (r=0.153, P=0.543), and pH (r=0.363, P=0.115). The highest values of pH (6.6) and P (8.14 mg kg−¹) were observed in the species richest AFS, and the highest OM (10.8%), N (0.49%), and EC (0.26 µs/cm) were found in the SBA system that has been converted recently from forests. In the SBA, the high values of pH, OM, N, EC, and CEC were result of cutting and burning of plant biomass during the landclearing process. It is concluded that AFS harbor a great diversity of plant species and can improve soil fertility, which is essential for developing sustainable agroecosystems. Further research is required to understand the efect of variation in AFS age on the overall soil health indicators.

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	Alcudia Aguilar, Alejandro Doctor autor 12525, Villanueva López, Gilberto Doctor autor 13631, Alayón Gamboa, José Armando Doctor autor 2012, Nahed Toral, José Doctor autor 6870, Aryal, Deb Raj Doctor autor 12345, Casanova Lugo, Fernando Doctor autor 12350, Ayala Montejo, Diana Doctora autora 22120, Martínez Zurimendi, Pablo Doctor autor 12321, Jiménez Ferrer, Guillermo Doctor autor 7948, de la Cruz López, César Augusto Maestro autor 22506, Medrano Pérez, O. R. autor
Format:	Texto biblioteca
Language:	eng
Subjects:	Sistemas agroforestales, Comunidades de plantas, Propiedades fisicoquímicas del suelo, Fertilidad del suelo, Materia orgánica, Artfrosur,
Online Access:	https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-024-00961-4
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