Land reclamation potential of four forage legumes along an environmental gradient in Cauca, Colombia

Soil degradation due to overgrazing and overstocking of animals is a worldwide problem. It is estimated that over 200 million of hectares of grazing and pastureland are degraded in tropical Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). There are several strategies aimed to restore, rehabilitate or reclaim...

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Main Authors: Sotelo Cabrera, Mauricio Efren, Vivas Quila, Nelson J., Barahona Rosales, Rolando, Cardoso, Juan Andrés, Peters, Michael
Format: Poster
Language:Inglés
Published: Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture 2021
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/115811
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author Sotelo Cabrera, Mauricio Efren
Vivas Quila, Nelson J.
Barahona Rosales, Rolando
Cardoso, Juan Andrés
Peters, Michael
author_browse Barahona Rosales, Rolando
Cardoso, Juan Andrés
Peters, Michael
Sotelo Cabrera, Mauricio Efren
Vivas Quila, Nelson J.
author_facet Sotelo Cabrera, Mauricio Efren
Vivas Quila, Nelson J.
Barahona Rosales, Rolando
Cardoso, Juan Andrés
Peters, Michael
author_sort Sotelo Cabrera, Mauricio Efren
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Soil degradation due to overgrazing and overstocking of animals is a worldwide problem. It is estimated that over 200 million of hectares of grazing and pastureland are degraded in tropical Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). There are several strategies aimed to restore, rehabilitate or reclaim degraded lands based on forages. In soils with inherent low organic matter contents—such as the ones typically found in highly weathered soils of tropical LAC—the use of forage legumes has great potential for soil reclamation while providing feed for livestock. The reasoning behind the use of legumes for soil reclamation is to add nitrogen and readily decomposable material to the low pool of organic matter in the soil. An increment of readily decomposable plant material also increases biological activity which in turn facilitate soil aggregation and thereby, the soil becomes more friable and with greater water holding retention. The present work assessed the soil reclamation potential of four forage legumes: Canavalia brasiliensis CIAT-17009, Centrosema molle CIAT-15160, Desmodium heterocarpon CIAT-13651 and Stylosanthes guianensis CIAT-11995 over a two-year evaluation period in degraded soils along an environmental gradient across three municipalities of the Cauca region, Colombia. Our results showed that all forage legumes exerted a positive effect on some physical, chemical and biological soil properties. Among tested legumes, S. guianensis showed greater impact on soil physical (greater water holding retention and reduction of soil bulk density), chemical (greater organic matter content and phosphorus availability), and biological (greater diversity and abundance of macro fauna in the soil) properties. We hypothesize that greater impact of S. guianensis on improvement of soil properties—and thereby land reclamation potential in highly weathered soils of tropical LAC—is associated to high phosphorus extraction potential as shown elsewhere.
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spelling CGSpace1158112025-12-08T10:29:22Z Land reclamation potential of four forage legumes along an environmental gradient in Cauca, Colombia Sotelo Cabrera, Mauricio Efren Vivas Quila, Nelson J. Barahona Rosales, Rolando Cardoso, Juan Andrés Peters, Michael land soil reclamation feed legumes tierras suelo rehabilitación de tierras leguminosas forrajeras canavalia centrosema desmodium stylosanthes guianensis Soil degradation due to overgrazing and overstocking of animals is a worldwide problem. It is estimated that over 200 million of hectares of grazing and pastureland are degraded in tropical Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). There are several strategies aimed to restore, rehabilitate or reclaim degraded lands based on forages. In soils with inherent low organic matter contents—such as the ones typically found in highly weathered soils of tropical LAC—the use of forage legumes has great potential for soil reclamation while providing feed for livestock. The reasoning behind the use of legumes for soil reclamation is to add nitrogen and readily decomposable material to the low pool of organic matter in the soil. An increment of readily decomposable plant material also increases biological activity which in turn facilitate soil aggregation and thereby, the soil becomes more friable and with greater water holding retention. The present work assessed the soil reclamation potential of four forage legumes: Canavalia brasiliensis CIAT-17009, Centrosema molle CIAT-15160, Desmodium heterocarpon CIAT-13651 and Stylosanthes guianensis CIAT-11995 over a two-year evaluation period in degraded soils along an environmental gradient across three municipalities of the Cauca region, Colombia. Our results showed that all forage legumes exerted a positive effect on some physical, chemical and biological soil properties. Among tested legumes, S. guianensis showed greater impact on soil physical (greater water holding retention and reduction of soil bulk density), chemical (greater organic matter content and phosphorus availability), and biological (greater diversity and abundance of macro fauna in the soil) properties. We hypothesize that greater impact of S. guianensis on improvement of soil properties—and thereby land reclamation potential in highly weathered soils of tropical LAC—is associated to high phosphorus extraction potential as shown elsewhere. 2021-10-25 2021-11-03T15:26:19Z 2021-11-03T15:26:19Z Poster https://hdl.handle.net/10568/115811 en Open Access application/pdf application/pdf Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture Sotelo-Cabrera, M.E.; Vivas, N.; Barahona, R.; Cardoso, J.A.; Peters, M. (2021) Land reclamation potential of four forage legumes along an environmental gradient in Cauca, Colombia. Poster/Abstract prepared for The International Grassland & International Rangeland Kenya 2021 Virtual Congress, 25-29 October 2021. Cali (Colombia): Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT.
spellingShingle land
soil
reclamation
feed legumes
tierras
suelo
rehabilitación de tierras
leguminosas forrajeras
canavalia
centrosema
desmodium
stylosanthes guianensis
Sotelo Cabrera, Mauricio Efren
Vivas Quila, Nelson J.
Barahona Rosales, Rolando
Cardoso, Juan Andrés
Peters, Michael
Land reclamation potential of four forage legumes along an environmental gradient in Cauca, Colombia
title Land reclamation potential of four forage legumes along an environmental gradient in Cauca, Colombia
title_full Land reclamation potential of four forage legumes along an environmental gradient in Cauca, Colombia
title_fullStr Land reclamation potential of four forage legumes along an environmental gradient in Cauca, Colombia
title_full_unstemmed Land reclamation potential of four forage legumes along an environmental gradient in Cauca, Colombia
title_short Land reclamation potential of four forage legumes along an environmental gradient in Cauca, Colombia
title_sort land reclamation potential of four forage legumes along an environmental gradient in cauca colombia
topic land
soil
reclamation
feed legumes
tierras
suelo
rehabilitación de tierras
leguminosas forrajeras
canavalia
centrosema
desmodium
stylosanthes guianensis
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/115811
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AT barahonarosalesrolando landreclamationpotentialoffourforagelegumesalonganenvironmentalgradientincaucacolombia
AT cardosojuanandres landreclamationpotentialoffourforagelegumesalonganenvironmentalgradientincaucacolombia
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