Abstract
Phosphorus availability was measured in soils under five crop** systems: alley crop** with Erythrina poeppigiana, alley crop** with Gliricidia sepium, sole crop** with Erythrina poeppigiana mulch applied, sole crop** with Gliricidia sepium mulch applied, sole crop** with no mulch. The following parameters were measured: 1) plant-available soil P assessed by P uptake of maize and bean bioassay plants; 2) phosphate desorbable by anion exchange resin; 3) adsorption of added P into isotopically exchangeable and non-exchangeable pools.
In the bioassay, P uptake of beans declined in the order: mulched sole-cropped>unmulched sole-cropped>alley-cropped soils. For maize the relative uptake was: mulched sole-cropped>unmulched sole-cropped = alley-cropped soils. These results suggest trees had not incorporated a significant quantity of P into the system after seven years and, probably, there was a decrease in available soil P due to the sequestration of P in the tree biomass. Potentially resin-desorbable P was higher in alley-cropped and mulched sole-cropped soils than in unmulched sole-cropped soils. The adsorption and desorption of added P into and from exchangeable and non-exchangeable pools did not differ between alley-cropped and unmulched sole-cropped soils.
Crop yield and crop N, P and K uptake were all higher in the alley crops than in the unmulched sole crop. The supply of P to the crop under alley crop** seems to be dependent on P cycled and released from the mulch. The P cycle in alley crop** appears to be self-sustaining at least under conditions of moderate P fertiliser input.
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Haggar, J.P., Warren, G.P., Beer, J.W. et al. Phosphorus availability under alley crop** and mulched and unmulched sole crop** systems in Costa Rica. Plant Soil 137, 275–283 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00011206
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00011206