Enhancing agroecosystem productivity with woody perennials in semi-arid West Africa. A meta-analysis

Soil degradation in semi-arid West Africa can be reversed through an intensified application of organic matter, especially on coarse soils. Woody perennials have been promoted in the region to secure organic matter sources and improve soil productive capacity, yet the mechanisms by which perennials...

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Main Authors: Félix, Georges F., Scholberg, Johannes M. S., Clermont-Dauphin, Cathy, Cournac, Laurent, Tittonell, Pablo Adrian
Format: info:ar-repo/semantics/artículo
Language:Inglés
Published: Springer Verlag 2019
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/4256
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs13593-018-0533-3
https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-018-0533-3
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author Félix, Georges F.
Scholberg, Johannes M. S.
Clermont-Dauphin, Cathy
Cournac, Laurent
Tittonell, Pablo Adrian
author_browse Clermont-Dauphin, Cathy
Cournac, Laurent
Félix, Georges F.
Scholberg, Johannes M. S.
Tittonell, Pablo Adrian
author_facet Félix, Georges F.
Scholberg, Johannes M. S.
Clermont-Dauphin, Cathy
Cournac, Laurent
Tittonell, Pablo Adrian
author_sort Félix, Georges F.
collection INTA Digital
description Soil degradation in semi-arid West Africa can be reversed through an intensified application of organic matter, especially on coarse soils. Woody perennials have been promoted in the region to secure organic matter sources and improve soil productive capacity, yet the mechanisms by which perennials provide benefits to soils and crops remain poorly understood, and no effective, generalizable agronomic recommendations exist. Here, we reviewed the effects of trees and shrubs on soil properties and on crop yields in semi-arid West Africa (< 1000 mm year−1). Specific objectives of this meta-analysis were to (i) describe and (ii) quantify the effects of the presence of woody perennials and of ramial wood amendments on crop productivity and soil characteristics, and (iii) identify general recommendations on the integration of perennials with crops. An iterative keyword search was conducted to gather relevant literature. The search string consisted of four parts: source, practice, responses, and countries of interest. In total, 26 references on agroforestry parklands and 21 onwoody amendments were included in the meta-database (314 entries, 155 for parklands, and 159 for ramialwood). We show that (1) the presence of shrubs and trees on agricultural fields had an overall positive but variable effect on soil total C (i.e.+ 20 to 75%); (2) millet and sorghum yields were often higher in the presence of shrubs (− 25 to + 120%); (3) more variability was observed in the presence of trees (− 100 to + 200%); and (4) the use of shrub- and tree-based ramial wood resulted in equal or higher cereal yields as compared to the control (− 30 to + 100%). Upscaling the use of biodiversity-driven processes in farming systems of West Africa may provide benefits to overall ecosystems, but species’ choice and trade-offs perceived at the farm level, including labour management and low ramial wood availability, should be addressed through future research.
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institution Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA -Argentina)
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spelling INTA42562019-01-11T17:15:27Z Enhancing agroecosystem productivity with woody perennials in semi-arid West Africa. A meta-analysis Félix, Georges F. Scholberg, Johannes M. S. Clermont-Dauphin, Cathy Cournac, Laurent Tittonell, Pablo Adrian Degradación de Tierras Plantas Perennes Land Degradation Perennials Agroecosystems Productivity Agroecosistemas Productividad Recursos Agroforestales Africa Occidental Soil degradation in semi-arid West Africa can be reversed through an intensified application of organic matter, especially on coarse soils. Woody perennials have been promoted in the region to secure organic matter sources and improve soil productive capacity, yet the mechanisms by which perennials provide benefits to soils and crops remain poorly understood, and no effective, generalizable agronomic recommendations exist. Here, we reviewed the effects of trees and shrubs on soil properties and on crop yields in semi-arid West Africa (< 1000 mm year−1). Specific objectives of this meta-analysis were to (i) describe and (ii) quantify the effects of the presence of woody perennials and of ramial wood amendments on crop productivity and soil characteristics, and (iii) identify general recommendations on the integration of perennials with crops. An iterative keyword search was conducted to gather relevant literature. The search string consisted of four parts: source, practice, responses, and countries of interest. In total, 26 references on agroforestry parklands and 21 onwoody amendments were included in the meta-database (314 entries, 155 for parklands, and 159 for ramialwood). We show that (1) the presence of shrubs and trees on agricultural fields had an overall positive but variable effect on soil total C (i.e.+ 20 to 75%); (2) millet and sorghum yields were often higher in the presence of shrubs (− 25 to + 120%); (3) more variability was observed in the presence of trees (− 100 to + 200%); and (4) the use of shrub- and tree-based ramial wood resulted in equal or higher cereal yields as compared to the control (− 30 to + 100%). Upscaling the use of biodiversity-driven processes in farming systems of West Africa may provide benefits to overall ecosystems, but species’ choice and trade-offs perceived at the farm level, including labour management and low ramial wood availability, should be addressed through future research. Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Bariloche Fil: Félix, Georges F. Wageningen University and Research, Farming Systems Ecology; Holanda Fil: Scholberg, Johannes M. S. INRA. Eco&Sols. Universidad Montpellier; Francia Fil: Clermont-Dauphin, Cathy. Université Montpellier, CIRAD, INRA, Eco&Sols; Francia. LMI IESOL Centre IRD-ISRA; Senegal Fil: Cournac, Laurent. INRA. Universidad Montpellier. Eco&Sols; Francia. LMI IESOL Centre IRD-ISRA; Senegal Fil: Tittonell, Pablo Adrian. Wageningen University and Research, Farming Systems Ecology; Holanda. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Bariloche; Argentina 2019-01-11T16:58:15Z 2019-01-11T16:58:15Z 2018-12 info:ar-repo/semantics/artículo info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/4256 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs13593-018-0533-3 1774-0746 1773-0155 https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-018-0533-3 eng info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) application/pdf Springer Verlag Agronomy for Sustainable Development 38 : 57 (December 2018)
spellingShingle Degradación de Tierras
Plantas Perennes
Land Degradation
Perennials
Agroecosystems
Productivity
Agroecosistemas
Productividad
Recursos Agroforestales
Africa Occidental
Félix, Georges F.
Scholberg, Johannes M. S.
Clermont-Dauphin, Cathy
Cournac, Laurent
Tittonell, Pablo Adrian
Enhancing agroecosystem productivity with woody perennials in semi-arid West Africa. A meta-analysis
title Enhancing agroecosystem productivity with woody perennials in semi-arid West Africa. A meta-analysis
title_full Enhancing agroecosystem productivity with woody perennials in semi-arid West Africa. A meta-analysis
title_fullStr Enhancing agroecosystem productivity with woody perennials in semi-arid West Africa. A meta-analysis
title_full_unstemmed Enhancing agroecosystem productivity with woody perennials in semi-arid West Africa. A meta-analysis
title_short Enhancing agroecosystem productivity with woody perennials in semi-arid West Africa. A meta-analysis
title_sort enhancing agroecosystem productivity with woody perennials in semi arid west africa a meta analysis
topic Degradación de Tierras
Plantas Perennes
Land Degradation
Perennials
Agroecosystems
Productivity
Agroecosistemas
Productividad
Recursos Agroforestales
Africa Occidental
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/4256
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs13593-018-0533-3
https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-018-0533-3
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