Biological activity of soils under systems of organic farming, agroforestry and pasture in the Amazon

The aim of this work was to evaluate biological indicators of soils used under the systems of organic farming, agroforestry and pasture in the south western part of the Amazon region of Brazil. The experiment was carried out at the Seridó Ecological Site, located in Rio Branco, in the state of Acre,...

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Main Authors: Irene Ferro Silva, Sebastião Elviro de Araújo Neto, Jorge Ferreira Kusdra
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Universidade Federal do Ceará 2014-09-01
Series:Revista Ciência Agronômica
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1806-66902014000300001&tlng=en
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author Irene Ferro Silva
Sebastião Elviro de Araújo Neto
Jorge Ferreira Kusdra
author_facet Irene Ferro Silva
Sebastião Elviro de Araújo Neto
Jorge Ferreira Kusdra
author_sort Irene Ferro Silva
collection DOAJ
description The aim of this work was to evaluate biological indicators of soils used under the systems of organic farming, agroforestry and pasture in the south western part of the Amazon region of Brazil. The experiment was carried out at the Seridó Ecological Site, located in Rio Branco, in the state of Acre, Brazil. The experimental design was completely randomised, with five treatments (land-use systems) and six replications, with each replication consisting of four single samples. The systems of land use evaluated were: 1) native forest (control); 2) agroforestry (AFS); 3) pasture; 4) intercropped passion fruit, maize, cassava, pineapple and forage peanut; and 5) intercropped passion fruit, maize, cassava, pineapple and tropical kudzu. It was found that organic farming systems intercropped with kudzu resulted in smaller losses of C-CO2 through edaphic respiration, and a greater accumulation of microbial biomass carbon. The intercropped organic farming system which included the forage peanut resulted in a greater loss than retention of carbon in the soil at a depth of 5-10 cm. Soil under the agroforestry system was equivalent to the soil of the control (native forest) in relation to the release and retention of carbon through biological activity. At a depth of 5-10 cm, soils under pasture presented similar microbial biomass to those under organic cultivation intercropped with tropical kudzu. However, at that depth, soils under pasture presented greater microbial biomass than those under natural forest, agroforestry or organic cultivation intercropped with forage peanut.
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spelling doaj.art-78d44c754f634fba8bb7b18174a22b442022-12-21T19:28:57ZengUniversidade Federal do CearáRevista Ciência Agronômica1806-66902014-09-01453427432Biological activity of soils under systems of organic farming, agroforestry and pasture in the AmazonIrene Ferro Silva0Sebastião Elviro de Araújo Neto1Jorge Ferreira Kusdra2Universidade Federal do AcreUniversidade Federal do AcreUniversidade Federal do AcreThe aim of this work was to evaluate biological indicators of soils used under the systems of organic farming, agroforestry and pasture in the south western part of the Amazon region of Brazil. The experiment was carried out at the Seridó Ecological Site, located in Rio Branco, in the state of Acre, Brazil. The experimental design was completely randomised, with five treatments (land-use systems) and six replications, with each replication consisting of four single samples. The systems of land use evaluated were: 1) native forest (control); 2) agroforestry (AFS); 3) pasture; 4) intercropped passion fruit, maize, cassava, pineapple and forage peanut; and 5) intercropped passion fruit, maize, cassava, pineapple and tropical kudzu. It was found that organic farming systems intercropped with kudzu resulted in smaller losses of C-CO2 through edaphic respiration, and a greater accumulation of microbial biomass carbon. The intercropped organic farming system which included the forage peanut resulted in a greater loss than retention of carbon in the soil at a depth of 5-10 cm. Soil under the agroforestry system was equivalent to the soil of the control (native forest) in relation to the release and retention of carbon through biological activity. At a depth of 5-10 cm, soils under pasture presented similar microbial biomass to those under organic cultivation intercropped with tropical kudzu. However, at that depth, soils under pasture presented greater microbial biomass than those under natural forest, agroforestry or organic cultivation intercropped with forage peanut.http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1806-66902014000300001&tlng=enOrganic productionCarbon dynamicsGround cover
spellingShingle Irene Ferro Silva
Sebastião Elviro de Araújo Neto
Jorge Ferreira Kusdra
Biological activity of soils under systems of organic farming, agroforestry and pasture in the Amazon
Revista Ciência Agronômica
Organic production
Carbon dynamics
Ground cover
title Biological activity of soils under systems of organic farming, agroforestry and pasture in the Amazon
title_full Biological activity of soils under systems of organic farming, agroforestry and pasture in the Amazon
title_fullStr Biological activity of soils under systems of organic farming, agroforestry and pasture in the Amazon
title_full_unstemmed Biological activity of soils under systems of organic farming, agroforestry and pasture in the Amazon
title_short Biological activity of soils under systems of organic farming, agroforestry and pasture in the Amazon
title_sort biological activity of soils under systems of organic farming agroforestry and pasture in the amazon
topic Organic production
Carbon dynamics
Ground cover
url http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1806-66902014000300001&tlng=en
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AT jorgeferreirakusdra biologicalactivityofsoilsundersystemsoforganicfarmingagroforestryandpastureintheamazon