Abstract
The increasing demand for timber and non-timber products from native forests in Chile and the cattle grazing has augmented the rate of degradation of these ecosystems. This process results in the need to know which of the dynamic variables are involved in its regulation. Soil quality indicators like soil organic carbon (SOC), soil microbial respiration (SMR), microbial biomass carbon (MBC), potential net N mineralization (N-min), and nitrification (N-NO3), soil aggregates, and light fraction (LF) were evaluated at two different depths of the soil in Nothofagus obliqua (deciduous) and mixed N. dombeyi-N. obliqua (evergreen-deciduous) forests, where a 30-ha silvopastoral trial was established, after this evaluation, in early 2016. The SOC, SMR, MBC, N-min, and N-NO3 were significantly higher in the N. obliqua forest than the mixed forest, 8%, 17%, 17%, 40%, and 20%, respectively (p < 0.05). The dry weight in soil fractions did not present differences between forest types. C and N contents in the LF (labile, undecomposed organic matter of plant origin) were higher in the deciduous forest, 9% and 20%, respectively (p < 0.05). Our results suggest that soil quality was favored by the quality of organic matter in the site dominated by deciduous species, which translates into more favorable conditions for the activity of microorganisms, nitrogen dynamic, and C and N content in the light faction. The intrinsic characteristics of the plant residues associated with higher rates of decomposition can stimulate the activity of the biota and especially the soil microorganisms, which would lead to higher values of the different indicators evaluated. This novel silvopastoral system will likely help restore the most degraded sites through improvement of the soil quality. This kind of information allows obtaining knowledge of the forest areas and their sustainability, mainly for the planning of long-term, durable silvopastoral practices.
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Acknowledgments
We wish to acknowledge the Universidad de Costa Rica, MCITT, and CONICIT, Costa Rica, for the scholarships for doctoral studies in Forest Sciences at the University of Concepción, Chile, of M. Alfaro. This study was funded by the Native Forest Research Fund of the National Forestry Corporation, MINAGRI, Chile (FIBN-CONAF Project No. 001-2014) and VRID-UDEC Multidisciplinary project No. 219.142.040-M.
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Alfaro, M., Dube, F., Zagal, E. (2020). The Influence of Overmature, Degraded Nothofagus Forests with Strong Anthropic Disturbance on the Quality of an Andisol and its Gradual Recovery with Silvopasture in Southwestern South America. In: Dagar, J.C., Gupta, S.R., Teketay, D. (eds) Agroforestry for Degraded Landscapes. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-6807-7_3
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