Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-vdxz6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-24T03:04:16.310Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Effects of restorative agroecosystems on soil characteristics and plant production on a degraded soil in the Georgia Piedmont, USA

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 July 2009

K.L. Jacobsen*
Affiliation:
Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, 255 Agricultural Sciences and Industries Building, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
C.F. Jordan
Affiliation:
Odum School of Ecology, Ecology Building, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.
*
*Corresponding author: [email protected]

Abstract

This work presents the results of a three-year field study of agroecosystems designed to restore soil organic matter (SOM) to degraded soils of the Georgia Piedmont. The systems combine a suite of management practices previously demonstrated to increase SOM when studied individually, and examine the effects of these techniques when used in combination in a cropping systems context on soil characteristics, crop production and weed biomass. The systems' components include organic management, alley cropping with perennial legumes, conservation tillage, use of winter cover crops, straw mulch and two compost application rates. Vegetable crops grown were a rotation of okra, hot pepper and a corn and winter squash intercrop. The systems were not able to maintain soil C or N without the addition of compost. Systems incorporating alley cropping, organic management, conservation tillage and compost maintained soil C, and increased in soil C when mulch was not applied. In organic, conservation tillage without alley cropping, soil C did not change significantly, even with annual 44.8 Mg ha−1 of compost additions. Patterns for soil N followed those of soil C. The study demonstrated that alley cropping can maintain and sequester soil C and N beyond organic conservation tillage alone, and more than conventionally tilled, chemically fertilized treatments. Crop yields did not vary by treatment due to high variation within treatments. Winter cover crop residue provided an effective weed barrier for 4 to 6 weeks in the spring, but additional hand weeding was required throughout the summer. The results of this systems-level study demonstrated interactions between management practices when used in combination that would not have been observed when studied individually. It also demonstrates that agroforestry techniques, conservation tillage and compost applications can increase soil C in degraded, clayey soils while they are in cultivation.

Type
Research Papers
Copyright
Copyright © 2009 Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1Hendrix, P.F., Parmelee, R.W., Crossley, D.A., Coleman, D.C., Odum, E.P., and Groffman, P.M. 1986. Detritus food webs in conventional and no-tillage agroecosystems. Bioscience 36:374380.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
2House, G.J., Stinner, B.R., and Crossley, D.A. 1984. Nitrogen cycling in conventional and no-tillage agroecosystems: analysis of pathways and processing. Journal of Applied Ecology 21:9911012.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
3West, L.T., Miller, W.P., Bruce, R.R., Langdale, G.W., Laflen, J.M., and Thomas, A.W. 1992. Cropping system and consolidation effects on rill erosion in the Georgia Piedmont. Soil Science Society of America Journal 56:12381243.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
4Jarecki, M.K. and Lal, R. 2003. Crop management for soil carbon sequestration. Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences 22:471502.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
5Lal, R. 2004. Soil carbon sequestration impacts on global climate change and food security. Science 304:16231627.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
6Lal, R. 2006. Enhancing crop yields in the developing countries through restoration of the soil organic carbon pool in agricultural lands. Land Degradation and Development 17:197209.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
7Burkart, M.R. and Stoner, J.R. 2002. Nitrate in aquifers beneath agricultural systems. Water Science and Technology 45:1928.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
8Burkhart, M.R. and James, D.E. 1999. Agricultural-nitrogen contributions to hypoxia in the Gulf of Mexico. Journal of Environmental Quality 28:850859.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
9Donner, S.D., Kucharik, C.J., and Foley, J.A. 2004. Impact of changing land use practices on nitrate export by the Mississippi River. Global Biogeochemical Cycles 18:GB1028.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
10Rhoades, C.C., Nissen, T.M., and Kettler, J.S. 1998. Soil nitrogen dynamics in alley cropping and no-till systems on ultisols of the Georgia Piedmont, USA. Agroforestry Systems 39:3144.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
11Swift, M.J., Izac, A.-M.N., and van Noordwijk, M. 2004. Biodiversity and ecosystem services in agricultural landscapes – are we asking the right questions? Agriculture, Ecosystems and the Environment 104:113134.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
12Nguyen, T.D. and Klinnert, C. 2001. Problems with and local solutions for organic matter management in Viet Nam. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems 61:8997.Google Scholar
13Jordan, C.F. 2004. Organic farming and agroforestry: alley cropping for mulch production for organic farms of Southeastern United States. Agroforestry Systems 61:7990.Google Scholar
14Sainju, U.M., Singh, B.P., and Whitehead, W.F. 2002. Long-term effects of tillage, cover crops, and nitrogen fertilization on organic carbon and nitrogen concentrations in sandy loam soils in Georgia, USA. Soil and Tillage Research 63:167179.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
15Sainju, U.M., Whitehead, W.F., and Singh, B.P. 2005. Carbon accumulation in cotton, sorghum, and underlying soil as influenced by tillage, cover crops, and nitrogen fertilization. Plant and Soil 273:219234.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
16Cherr, C.M., Scholberg, J.M.S., and McSorley, R. 2006. Green manure as nitrogen source for sweet corn in a warm-temperate environment. Agronomy Journal 98:11731180.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
17Kang, B.T. and Ghuman, B.S. 1991. Alley cropping as a sustainable system. In Moldenhauer, W.C., Hudson, N.W., Sheng, T.C., and Lee, S.W. (eds). Development of Conservation Farming on Hill Slopes. Soil and Water Conservation Society, Ankeny. p. 172184.Google Scholar
18Rao, M.R., Ong, C.K., Pathak, P., and Sharma, M.M. 1991. Productivity of annual cropping systems on a shallow alfisol in semiarid India. Agroforestry Systems 15:5163.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
19Govindarajan, M., Rao, M.R., Mathuva, M.N., and Nair, P.K. 1996. Soil-water and root dynamics under hedgerow intercropping in semiarid Kenya. Agronomy Journal 88:513520.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
20Long, A.J. and Nair, P.K.R. 1999. Trees outside forests: agro-, community, and urban forestry. New Forests 17:145174.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
21Matta-Machado, R.P. and Jordan, C.F. 1995. Nutrient dynamics during the first three years of an alleycropping agroecosystem in the Southern USA. Agroforestry Systems 30:351362.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
22Matta-Machado, R.P., Neely, C.L., and Cabrera, M.L. 1994. Plant residue decomposition and nitrogen dynamics in an alley cropping and an annual legume-based cropping system. Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis 25:33653378.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
23Seiter, S., William, R.D., and Hibbs, D.E. 1999. Crop yield and tree-leaf production in three planting patterns of temperate zone alley cropping in Oregon, USA. Agroforestry Systems 46:273288.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
24Tyler, D.D., Wagger, M.G., McCracken, D.V., and Hargrove, W.L. 1994. Role of conservation tillage in sustainable agriculture in the Southern United States. In Carter, M.R. (ed.). Conservation Tillage in Temperate Agroecosystems. Lewis Publishers, Boca Raton, FL. p. 209229.Google Scholar
25Langdale, G.W., West, L.T., Bruce, R.R., Miller, W.P., and Thomas, A.W. 1992. Restoration of eroded soil with conservation tillage. Soil Technology 5:8190.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
26Sims, G.K., Buhler, D.D., and Turco, R.F. 1994. Residue management impacts on the environment. In Unger, P.W. (ed.). Managing Agricultural Residues. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL. p. 7798.Google Scholar
27Economic Research Service. 2007. Certified Organic Pasture and Cropland. United States Department of Agriculture. Available at Web site http://www.ers.usda.gov/Data/Organic/ (accessed 23 May 2008).Google Scholar
28Pimentel, D., Hepperly, P., Hanson, J., Douds, D., and Seidel, R. 2005. Environmental, energetic, and economic comparisons of organic and conventional farming systems. Bioscience 55:573582.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
29Drinkwater, L.E., Letourneau, D.K., Workneh, F., Vanbruggen, A.H.C., and Shennan, C. 1995. Fundamental differences between conventional and organic tomato agroecosystems in California. Ecological Applications 5(4):10981112.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
30Altieri, M.A. 1995. Agroecology: The Science of Sustainable Agriculture. 2nd ed.Westview Press, Inc., Boulder, CO.Google Scholar
31Vadas, P.A., Kleinman, J.A., and Sharpley, A.N. 2004. A simple method to predict dissolved phosphorus in runoff from surface-applied manures. Journal of Environmental Quality 33:749756.Google ScholarPubMed
32Liebman, M., Gibson, L.R., Sundberg, D.N., Heggenstaller, A.H., Westerman, P.R., Chase, C.A., Hartzler, R.G., Menalled, F.D., Davis, A.S., and Dixon, P.M. 2008. Agronomic and economic performance characteristics of conventional and low-external-input cropping systems in the central Corn Belt. Agronomy Journal 100(3):600610.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
33Colditz, P., Granberry, D., and Vavrina, C. 1999. Okra: Commercial Vegetable Production. Report Number 627. University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service, Athens.Google Scholar
34Harris, G.H. 2008. Fertilization. In A Guide to Corn Production in Georgia 2008. University of Georgia Cooperative Extension, Athens.Google Scholar
35Kelley, W.T., Boyhan, G.E., and Granberry, D.M. 2006. Lime and fertilizer management. In Commercial Pepper Production Handbook. University of Georgia Cooperative Extension, Athens. p. 1722.Google Scholar
36Kelley, W.T. and Langston, D.B. 2001. Commercial Production and Management of Pumpkins and Gourds. University of Georgia Cooperative Extension, Athens.Google Scholar
37Natural Resource Conservation Service. 1999. Soil Quality Test Kit Guide. United States Department of Agriculture, Lincoln.Google Scholar
38Vance, E.D., Brookes, P.C., and Jenkinson, D.S. 1987. An extraction method for measuring soil microbial biomass-C. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 19:703707.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
39Motavalli, P.P.P., Parton, W.J.Elliott, E.T., and Frey, S.D. 1994. Comparison of laboratory and modeling simulation methods for estimating soil carbon pools in tropical forest soils. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 26:935944.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
40Joergensen, R.G. 1996. The fumigation-extraction method to estimate soil microbial biomass: calibration of the k(EC) value. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 28:2531.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
41SAS Institute Inc. 2007. SAS Version 9.1. SAS Institute, Inc., Cary, NC.Google Scholar
42Stooksbury, D.E. 2008. Drought now exceptional in Northwest, Southwest Georgia. Georgia FACES August 8, 2007:1.Google Scholar
43Estes, E.A., Kleese, T., and Lauffer, L. 2003. North Carolina Organic Vegetable Production Cost Study. Department of Agricultural Resource Economics Report No. 31. North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC.Google Scholar
44Jacobsen, K.L. and Escalante, C.L. Economic analysis of an experimental organic agricultural system on a highly eroded soil of the Georgia Piedmont, USA. In preparation.Google Scholar
45Hendrix, P.F., Franzluebbers, A.J., and McCracken, D.V. 1998. Management effects on C accumulation and loss in soils of the southern Appalachian Piedmont of Georgia. Soil and Tillage Research 47:245251.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
46Teasdale, J.R., Coffman, C.B., and Mangum, R.W. 2007. Potential long-term benefits of no-tillage and organic cropping systems for grain production and soil improvement. Agronomy Journal 99:12971305.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
47Florida Exotic Pest Council. 1999. Invasive Plant List. Available from Web site http://www.fleppc.org/ (accessed 1 May 2004).Google Scholar
48Seiter, S. and Horwath, W.R. 1999. The fate of tree root and pruning nitrogen in a temperate climate alley cropping system determined by tree injected N-15. Biology and Fertility of Soils 30:6168.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
49Kass, D.C.L., Sylvester-Bradley, R., and Nygren, P. 1997. The role of nitrogen fixation and nutrient supply in some agroforestry systems of the Americas. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 29:775785.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
50Stockdale, E.A., Lampkin, N.H., Hovi, M., Keatinge, R., Lennarsson, E.K.M., Macdonald, D.W., Padel, S., Tattersall, F.H., Wolfe, M.S., and Watson, C.A. 2001. Agronomic and environmental implications of organic farming systems. Advances in Agronomy 70:261327.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
51Lawson, T.L. and Kang, B.T. 1990. Yield of maize and cowpea in an alley cropping system in relation to available light. Agriculture and Forestry Meteorology 52:347357.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
52Pekrun, C., El Titi, A., and Claupein, W. 2003. Implications of soil tillage for crop and weed seeds. In El Titi, A. (ed.). Soil Tillage in Agroecosystems. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL. p. 116139.Google Scholar
53Infante, M.L. and Morse, R.D. 1996. Integration of no tillage and overseeded legume living mulches for transplanted broccoli production. HortScience 31:376380.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
54Carrera, L.M., Morse, R.D., Hima, B.L., Abdul-Baki, A.A., Haynes, K.G., and Teasdale, J.R. 2005. A conservation-tillage, cover-cropping strategy and economic analysis for creamer potato production. American Journal of Potato Research 82:471479.CrossRefGoogle Scholar