Nitrogen-Fixing Trees in Small-Scale Agriculture of Mountainous Southeast Guatemala: Effects on Soil Quality and Erosion Control

Intensive, subsistence agriculture on hillsides of southeast Guatemala has caused extensive soil degradation. This retrospective study evaluated the success of an agroforestry treatment in improving the sustainability of mountainous agricultural systems in terms of soil nutrient status and erosion c...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of sustainable forestry 2007-03, Vol.23 (4), p.61-80
Main Authors: Augustine, Christina M. Jensen, Vogt, Kristiina A., Harrison, Robert B., Hunsaker, Heather M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
agriculture in mountains
Agroforestry
erosion control
Gliricidia sepium
Guatemala
N-fixing trees
soil nutrients
sustainable agriculture
Zea mays
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Summary:Intensive, subsistence agriculture on hillsides of southeast Guatemala has caused extensive soil degradation. This retrospective study evaluated the success of an agroforestry treatment in improving the sustainability of mountainous agricultural systems in terms of soil nutrient status and erosion control. Three years after maize (Zea mays) and pasture fields were alley-cropped with N-fixing Gliricidia sepium trees, soil nutrient levels were examined and compared to nonalley-cropped controls. Agroforestry treatment showed significantly higher soil organic matter (SOM) over paired plots with no alley-cropping (mean 4.3% vs. 3.2% C, p < 0.05). Mean total N was also higher, with 0.12% in the nonagro-forestry control plots compared to 0.16% underthe agroforestry treatment (p
ISSN:1054-9811
1540-756X
DOI:10.1300/J091v23n04_04