Carbon stocks in shaded Theobroma cacao farms and adjacent secondary forests of similar age in Cameroon

Cacao is an important smallholder crop in West Africa, often grown under a forest canopy. Yields from cacao farms are low so farmers consider removing shade trees, however, the impacts on pest and disease dynamics, soil fertility and thus yield in the longer term are not understood. We estimated car...

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Main Authors: Norgrove, L., Hauser, S.
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: 2013
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/76059
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author Norgrove, L.
Hauser, S.
author_browse Hauser, S.
Norgrove, L.
author_facet Norgrove, L.
Hauser, S.
author_sort Norgrove, L.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Cacao is an important smallholder crop in West Africa, often grown under a forest canopy. Yields from cacao farms are low so farmers consider removing shade trees, however, the impacts on pest and disease dynamics, soil fertility and thus yield in the longer term are not understood. We estimated carbon stocks in shaded cacao systems in Cameroon using equations that took account of wood densities of individual species. The average C stock in cacao trees was 14.4 Mg C ha-1, compared with 121.1 Mg C ha-1 in the upper shade tree canopy, 5.8 Mg C ha-1 in necromass and 90 Mg ha-1 in soil. While total stock was comparable to that in secondary forest, only a small proportion was in the cacao per-se. Cutting shade trees would significantly reduce carbon stocks. Impacts of reduced C stock on sustainability are discussed
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spelling CGSpace760592023-06-12T19:16:45Z Carbon stocks in shaded Theobroma cacao farms and adjacent secondary forests of similar age in Cameroon Norgrove, L. Hauser, S. cacao shade carbon chromolaena odorata theobrome cacao Cacao is an important smallholder crop in West Africa, often grown under a forest canopy. Yields from cacao farms are low so farmers consider removing shade trees, however, the impacts on pest and disease dynamics, soil fertility and thus yield in the longer term are not understood. We estimated carbon stocks in shaded cacao systems in Cameroon using equations that took account of wood densities of individual species. The average C stock in cacao trees was 14.4 Mg C ha-1, compared with 121.1 Mg C ha-1 in the upper shade tree canopy, 5.8 Mg C ha-1 in necromass and 90 Mg ha-1 in soil. While total stock was comparable to that in secondary forest, only a small proportion was in the cacao per-se. Cutting shade trees would significantly reduce carbon stocks. Impacts of reduced C stock on sustainability are discussed 2013 2016-07-11T08:41:37Z 2016-07-11T08:41:37Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/76059 en Limited Access Norgrove, L. & Hauser, S. T. E. F. A. N. (2013). Carbon stocks in shaded Theobroma cacao farms and adjacent secondary forests of similar age in Cameroon. Tropical Ecology, 54(1), 15-22.
spellingShingle cacao
shade
carbon
chromolaena odorata
theobrome cacao
Norgrove, L.
Hauser, S.
Carbon stocks in shaded Theobroma cacao farms and adjacent secondary forests of similar age in Cameroon
title Carbon stocks in shaded Theobroma cacao farms and adjacent secondary forests of similar age in Cameroon
title_full Carbon stocks in shaded Theobroma cacao farms and adjacent secondary forests of similar age in Cameroon
title_fullStr Carbon stocks in shaded Theobroma cacao farms and adjacent secondary forests of similar age in Cameroon
title_full_unstemmed Carbon stocks in shaded Theobroma cacao farms and adjacent secondary forests of similar age in Cameroon
title_short Carbon stocks in shaded Theobroma cacao farms and adjacent secondary forests of similar age in Cameroon
title_sort carbon stocks in shaded theobroma cacao farms and adjacent secondary forests of similar age in cameroon
topic cacao
shade
carbon
chromolaena odorata
theobrome cacao
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/76059
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