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Fontaine S, Abbadie L, Aubert M, Barot S, Bloor JMG, Derrien D, Duchene O, Gross N, Henneron L, Le Roux X, Loeuille N, Michel J, Recous S, Wipf D, Alvarez G. Plant-soil synchrony in nutrient cycles: Learning from ecosystems to design sustainable agrosystems. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2024; 30:e17034. [PMID: 38273527 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.17034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2023] [Accepted: 10/14/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2024]
Abstract
Redesigning agrosystems to include more ecological regulations can help feed a growing human population, preserve soils for future productivity, limit dependency on synthetic fertilizers, and reduce agriculture contribution to global changes such as eutrophication and warming. However, guidelines for redesigning cropping systems from natural systems to make them more sustainable remain limited. Synthetizing the knowledge on biogeochemical cycles in natural ecosystems, we outline four ecological systems that synchronize the supply of soluble nutrients by soil biota with the fluctuating nutrient demand of plants. This synchrony limits deficiencies and excesses of soluble nutrients, which usually penalize both production and regulating services of agrosystems such as nutrient retention and soil carbon storage. In the ecological systems outlined, synchrony emerges from plant-soil and plant-plant interactions, eco-physiological processes, soil physicochemical processes, and the dynamics of various nutrient reservoirs, including soil organic matter, soil minerals, atmosphere, and a common market. We discuss the relative importance of these ecological systems in regulating nutrient cycles depending on the pedoclimatic context and on the functional diversity of plants and microbes. We offer ideas about how these systems could be stimulated within agrosystems to improve their sustainability. A review of the latest advances in agronomy shows that some of the practices suggested to promote synchrony (e.g., reduced tillage, rotation with perennial plant cover, crop diversification) have already been tested and shown to be effective in reducing nutrient losses, fertilizer use, and N2 O emissions and/or improving biomass production and soil carbon storage. Our framework also highlights new management strategies and defines the conditions for the success of these nature-based practices allowing for site-specific modifications. This new synthetized knowledge should help practitioners to improve the long-term productivity of agrosystems while reducing the negative impact of agriculture on the environment and the climate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sébastien Fontaine
- INRAE, VetAgro Sup, Université Clermont Auvergne, UMR Ecosystème Prairial, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Luc Abbadie
- UPEC, CNRS, IRD, INRAE, Institut d'écologie et des sciences de l'environnement, IEES, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Michaël Aubert
- UNIROUEN, INRAE, ECODIV-Rouen, Normandie Univ, Rouen, France
| | - Sébastien Barot
- UPEC, CNRS, IRD, INRAE, Institut d'écologie et des sciences de l'environnement, IEES, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Juliette M G Bloor
- INRAE, VetAgro Sup, Université Clermont Auvergne, UMR Ecosystème Prairial, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | | | - Olivier Duchene
- ISARA, Research Unit Agroecology and Environment, Lyon, France
| | - Nicolas Gross
- INRAE, VetAgro Sup, Université Clermont Auvergne, UMR Ecosystème Prairial, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | | | - Xavier Le Roux
- INRAE UMR 1418, CNRS UMR 5557, VetAgroSup, Microbial Ecology Centre LEM, Université de Lyon, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Nicolas Loeuille
- UPEC, CNRS, IRD, INRAE, Institut d'écologie et des sciences de l'environnement, IEES, Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Jennifer Michel
- Plant Sciences, TERRA Teaching and Research Centre, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, University of Liège, Gembloux, Belgium
| | - Sylvie Recous
- INRAE, FARE, Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, Reims, France
| | - Daniel Wipf
- Agroécologie, AgroSup Dijon, CNRS, Université de Bourgogne, INRAE, Université de Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Dijon, France
| | - Gaël Alvarez
- INRAE, VetAgro Sup, Université Clermont Auvergne, UMR Ecosystème Prairial, Clermont-Ferrand, France
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Waithaisong K, Robin A, Mareschal L, Bouillet JP, Harmand JM, Bordron B, Laclau JP, Gonçalves JLM, Plassard C. Potential of Bioassays to Assess Consequences of Cultivation of Acacia mangium Trees on Nitrogen Bioavailability to Eucalyptus Trees: Two Case-Studies in Contrasting Tropical Soils. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 12:802. [PMID: 36840150 PMCID: PMC9963636 DOI: 10.3390/plants12040802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Revised: 02/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
We hypothesized that the nitrogen-fixing tree Acacia mangium could improve the growth and nitrogen nutrition of non-fixing tree species such as Eucalyptus. We measured the N-mineralization and respiration rates of soils sampled from plots covered with Acacia, Eucalyptus or native vegetation at two tropical sites (Itatinga in Brazil and Kissoko in the Congo) in the laboratory. We used a bioassay to assess N bioavailability to eucalypt seedlings grown with and without chemical fertilization for at least 6 months. At each site, Eucalyptus seedling growth and N bioavailability followed the same trends as the N-mineralization rates in soil samples. However, despite lower soil N-mineralization rates under Acacia in the Congo than in Brazil, Eucalyptus seedling growth and N bioavailability were much greater in the Congo, indicating that bioassays in pots are more accurate than N-mineralization rates when predicting the growth of eucalypt seedlings. Hence, in the Congo, planting Acacia mangium could be an attractive option to maintain the growth and N bioavailability of the non-fixing species Eucalyptus while decreasing chemical fertilization. Plant bioassays could help determine if the introduction of N2-fixing trees will improve the growth and mineral nutrition of non-fixing tree species in tropical planted forests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kittima Waithaisong
- Eco&Sols, Institut Agro, Univ Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAe, IRD, 34060 Montpellier, France
| | - Agnès Robin
- Eco&Sols, Institut Agro, Univ Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAe, IRD, 34060 Montpellier, France
- CIRAD, UMR Eco&Sols, F-34398, 34000 Montpellier, France
- ESALQ, University São Paulo, Piracicaba 13418-900, SP, Brazil
| | - Louis Mareschal
- Eco&Sols, Institut Agro, Univ Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAe, IRD, 34060 Montpellier, France
- CIRAD, UMR Eco&Sols, F-34398, 34000 Montpellier, France
- CRDPI, Pointe Noire 1291, Congo
| | - Jean-Pierre Bouillet
- Eco&Sols, Institut Agro, Univ Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAe, IRD, 34060 Montpellier, France
- CIRAD, UMR Eco&Sols, F-34398, 34000 Montpellier, France
- ESALQ, University São Paulo, Piracicaba 13418-900, SP, Brazil
| | - Jean-Michel Harmand
- Eco&Sols, Institut Agro, Univ Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAe, IRD, 34060 Montpellier, France
- CIRAD, UMR Eco&Sols, F-34398, 34000 Montpellier, France
| | - Bruno Bordron
- Eco&Sols, Institut Agro, Univ Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAe, IRD, 34060 Montpellier, France
- CIRAD, UMR Eco&Sols, F-34398, 34000 Montpellier, France
- ESALQ, University São Paulo, Piracicaba 13418-900, SP, Brazil
| | - Jean-Paul Laclau
- Eco&Sols, Institut Agro, Univ Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAe, IRD, 34060 Montpellier, France
- CIRAD, UMR Eco&Sols, F-34398, 34000 Montpellier, France
- School of Agricultural Sciences, UNESP-São Paulo State University, Botucatu 18610-307, SP, Brazil
| | | | - Claude Plassard
- Eco&Sols, Institut Agro, Univ Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAe, IRD, 34060 Montpellier, France
- Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Biogéochimie des Sols, 2 Place Pierre Viala, CEDEX 01, 34060 Montpellier, France
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Sauvadet M, Trap J, Damour G, Plassard C, Van den Meersche K, Achard R, Allinne C, Autfray P, Bertrand I, Blanchart E, Deberdt P, Enock S, Essobo JD, Freschet GT, Hedde M, de Melo Virginio Filho E, Rabary B, Rakotoarivelo M, Randriamanantsoa R, Rhino B, Ripoche A, Rosalie E, Saj S, Becquer T, Tixier P, Harmand JM. Agroecosystem diversification with legumes or non-legumes improves differently soil fertility according to soil type. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 795:148934. [PMID: 34328927 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2021] [Revised: 06/03/2021] [Accepted: 07/05/2021] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Plant diversification through crop rotation or agroforestry is a promising way to improve sustainability of agroecosystems. Nonetheless, criteria to select the most suitable plant communities for agroecosystems diversification facing contrasting environmental constraints need to be refined. Here, we compared the impacts of 24 different plant communities on soil fertility across six tropical agroecosystems: either on highly weathered Ferralsols, with strong P limitation, or on partially weathered soils derived from volcanic material, with major N limitation. In each agroecosystem, we tested several plant communities for diversification, as compared to a matching low diversity management for their cropping system. Plant residue restitution, N, P and lignin contents were measured for each plant community. In parallel, the soil under each community was analyzed for organic C and N, inorganic N, Olsen P, soil pH and nematode community composition. Soil potential fertility was assessed with plant bioassays under greenhouse controlled climatic conditions. Overall, plant diversification had a positive effect on soil fertility across all sites, with contrasting effects depending on soil type and legumes presence in the community. Communities with legumes improved soil fertility indicators of volcanic soils, which was demonstrated through significantly higher plant biomass production in the bioassays (+18%) and soil inorganic N (+26%) compared to the low diversity management. Contrastingly, communities without legumes were the most beneficial in Ferralsols, with increases in plant biomass production in the bioassays (+39%), soil Olsen P (+46%), soil C (+26%), and pH (+5%). Piecewise structural equation models with Shipley's test revealed that plant diversification impacts on volcanic soil fertility were related to soil N availability, driven by litter N. Meanwhile, Ferralsols fertility was related to soil P availability, driven by litter P. These findings underline the importance of multifactorial and multi-sites experiments to inform trait-based frameworks used in designing optimal plant diversification in agroecological systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie Sauvadet
- Eco&Sols, Institut Agro, Univ Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAE, IRD, F-34060 Montpellier, France; Univ Montpellier, F-34398 Montpellier, France; CIRAD, UPR GECO, F-34398 Montpellier, France.
| | - Jean Trap
- Eco&Sols, Institut Agro, Univ Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAE, IRD, F-34060 Montpellier, France
| | - Gaëlle Damour
- Univ Montpellier, F-34398 Montpellier, France; CIRAD, UPR GECO, F-34398 Montpellier, France
| | - Claude Plassard
- Eco&Sols, Institut Agro, Univ Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAE, IRD, F-34060 Montpellier, France
| | - Karel Van den Meersche
- Univ Montpellier, F-34398 Montpellier, France; CIRAD, UMR Eco&Sols, F-34398 Montpellier, France; CATIE (Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center), Turrialba 7170, Costa Rica
| | - Raphaël Achard
- Univ Montpellier, F-34398 Montpellier, France; CIRAD, UPR GECO, F-34398 Montpellier, France; CIRAD, UPR GECO, F-97285 Le Lamentin, Martinique, France
| | - Clémentine Allinne
- Univ Montpellier, F-34398 Montpellier, France; CATIE (Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center), Turrialba 7170, Costa Rica; SYSTEM, Univ Montpellier, CIHEAM-IAMM, CIRAD, INRAE, Institut Agro, F-34060 Montpellier, France
| | - Patrice Autfray
- Univ Montpellier, F-34398 Montpellier, France; CIRAD, UPR AIDA, BP 110 Antsirabe, Madagascar; FOFIFA SRR, BP 230 Antsirabe, Madagascar
| | - Isabelle Bertrand
- Eco&Sols, Institut Agro, Univ Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAE, IRD, F-34060 Montpellier, France
| | - Eric Blanchart
- Eco&Sols, Institut Agro, Univ Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAE, IRD, F-34060 Montpellier, France
| | - Péninna Deberdt
- Univ Montpellier, F-34398 Montpellier, France; CIRAD, UPR HORTSYS, F-97285 Le Lamentin, France
| | - Séguy Enock
- ICRAF (World Agroforestry), West and Central Africa Regional Program, Yaounde, Cameroon
| | - Jean-Daniel Essobo
- ICRAF (World Agroforestry), West and Central Africa Regional Program, Yaounde, Cameroon
| | - Grégoire T Freschet
- CNRS, Station d'Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale, F-09200 Moulis, France; CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Univ Paul Valéry Montpellier 3, Institut Agro, INRAE, F-34293 Montpellier, France
| | - Mickaël Hedde
- Eco&Sols, Institut Agro, Univ Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAE, IRD, F-34060 Montpellier, France
| | | | | | - Miora Rakotoarivelo
- Université d'Antananarivo, Ecole Supérieure des Sciences Agronomiques, BP 175 Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | | | - Béatrice Rhino
- Univ Montpellier, F-34398 Montpellier, France; CIRAD, UPR HORTSYS, F-97285 Le Lamentin, France
| | - Aude Ripoche
- Univ Montpellier, F-34398 Montpellier, France; CIRAD, UPR AIDA, BP 110 Antsirabe, Madagascar; FOFIFA SRR, BP 230 Antsirabe, Madagascar
| | - Elisabeth Rosalie
- Univ Montpellier, F-34398 Montpellier, France; CIRAD, UPR GECO, F-34398 Montpellier, France; CIRAD, UPR GECO, F-97285 Le Lamentin, Martinique, France
| | - Stéphane Saj
- Univ Montpellier, F-34398 Montpellier, France; SYSTEM, Univ Montpellier, CIHEAM-IAMM, CIRAD, INRAE, Institut Agro, F-34060 Montpellier, France; ICRAF (World Agroforestry), West and Central Africa Regional Program, Yaounde, Cameroon
| | - Thierry Becquer
- Eco&Sols, Institut Agro, Univ Montpellier, CIRAD, INRAE, IRD, F-34060 Montpellier, France
| | - Philippe Tixier
- Univ Montpellier, F-34398 Montpellier, France; CIRAD, UPR GECO, F-34398 Montpellier, France
| | - Jean-Michel Harmand
- Univ Montpellier, F-34398 Montpellier, France; CIRAD, UMR Eco&Sols, F-34398 Montpellier, France; ICRAF (World Agroforestry), West and Central Africa Regional Program, Yaounde, Cameroon
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Influence of Acacia mangium on Soil Fertility and Bacterial Community in Eucalyptus Plantations in the Congolese Coastal Plains. SUSTAINABILITY 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/su12218763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Productivity and sustainability of tropical forest plantations greatly rely on regulation of ecosystem functioning and nutrient cycling, i.e., the link between plant growth, nutrient availability, and the microbial community structure. So far, these interactions have never been evaluated in the Acacia and Eucalyptus forest planted on infertile soils in the Congolese coastal plains. In the present work, the soil bacterial community has been investigated by metabarcoding of the 16S rRNA bacterial gene in different stands of monoculture and mixed-species plantation to evaluate the potential of nitrogen-fixing trees on nutrient and bacterial structure. At the phylum level, the soil bacterial community was dominated by Actinobacteria, followed by Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Acidobacteria. A principal coordinate analysis revealed that bacterial communities from pure Eucalyptus, compared to those from plantations containing Acacia in pure and mixed-species stands, showed different community composition (beta-diversity). Regardless of the large variability of the studied soils, the prevalence of Firmicutes phylum, and lower bacterial richness and phylogenic diversity were reported in stands containing Acacia relative to the pure Eucalyptus. Distance-based redundancy analysis revealed a positive correlation of available phosphorus (P) and carbon/nitrogen (C/N) ratio with bacterial community structure. However, the Spearman correlation test revealed a broad correlation between the relative abundance of bacterial taxa and soil attributes, in particular with sulfur (S) and carbon (C), suggesting the important role of soil bacterial community in nutrient cycling in this type of forest management. Concerning mixed plantations, a shift in bacterial community structure was observed, probably linked to other changes, i.e., improvement in soil fertility (enhanced P and C dynamics in forest floor and soil, and increase in soil N status), and C sequestration in both soil and stand wood biomass with the great potential impact to mitigate climate change. Overall, our findings highlight the role of soil attributes, especially C, S, available P, and C/N ratio at a lesser extent, in driving the soil bacterial community in mixed-species plantations and its potential to improve soil fertility and to sustain Eucalyptus plantations established on the infertile and sandy soils of the Congolese coastal plains.
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