Effects of trefoil cover crop and earthworm inoculation on maize crop and soil organisms in Reunion Island

On the western coast of the Reunion Island, the tree fallow was abandoned for lack of land. Soil fertility is no longer restored and crop yields slump. The leguminous plant, #Lotus uliginosus# (trefoil) allows to control erosion, to restore soil macrofauna, especially that of earthworms and to increase the crop yield. When the trefoil is associatied with earthworms (#Amynthas corticis#), densities of maize and fertile maize plant density, the maize stalk and dry matter yield, the trefoil fodder dry matter yield, biomass and respiratory activity of soil microflora are considerably increased. The combined effects of their association decrease significantly the population of plant-parasitic nematodes (#Pratylenchus vulnus#) in the maize roots, the population of borer and some soil chemical features are modified.

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	Boyer, Johnny, Michellon, Roger, Reversat, Georges, Tibere, Richard
Format:	monograph biblioteca
Language:	eng
Published:	CIRAD
Subjects:	F08 - Systèmes et modes de culture, P34 - Biologie du sol, H10 - Ravageurs des plantes, Zea mays, Lotus uliginosus, plante de couverture, Oligochaeta, organisme du sol, rendement des cultures, Pratylenchus vulnus, ravageur des plantes, taux de croissance, propriété physicochimique du sol, http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_8504, http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_4446, http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_1936, http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_29111, http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_33552, http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_10176, http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_24794, http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_16196, http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_16130, http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_7182, http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_6543, http://aims.fao.org/aos/agrovoc/c_3081,
Online Access:	http://agritrop.cirad.fr/300042/
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