Nitrogen cycling in a Brachiaria-based silvopastoral system in the Atlantic forest region of Minas Gerais, Brazil

In the south-eastern region of Brazil there are millions of hectares of deforested, almost-treeless hillsides with sparse ground-cover of grasses of African origin. For the establishment of more productive pastures in these areas, silvopastoral systems (SPSs) have been recommended, and the objective...

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Published in:	Nutrient cycling in agroecosystems Vol. 99; no. 1-3; pp. 45 - 62
Main Authors:	Xavier, Deise F, da Silva Lédo, Francisco J, Paciullo, Domingos S. de Campos, Urquiaga, Segundo, Alves, Bruno J. R, Boddey, Robert M
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Dordrecht Springer-Verlag 01-07-2014 Springer Netherlands Springer Springer Nature B.V
Subjects:	Acacia mangium Agriculture Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions Animal and plant ecology Animal, plant and microbial ecology Biological and medical sciences Biomedical and Life Sciences Brachiaria decumbens Deforestation Eucalyptus Fluxes Forestry forests Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology General agroecology General agroecology. Agricultural and farming systems. Agricultural development. Rural area planning. Landscaping General agronomy. Plant production Generalities. Agricultural and farming systems. Agricultural development Grasses Ground cover heifers hills Legumes Life Sciences Litter liveweight gain Mimosa Nitrogen Nitrogen cycle Original Article Pasture pastures plant litter planting Productivity recycling silvopastoral systems Soil erosion Soil-plant relationships. Soil fertility. Fertilization. Amendments Sustainability Synecology Trees Urine Urochloa decumbens Brazil South America America Brazil, Minas Gerais ASW, Brazil Animal intake Litter deposition Live weight gain Stable isotopes Legume trees Forage quality Monocotyledones Forests Tropical zone Body weight Weight gain Gramineae Dicotyledones Angiospermae Isotopes Deposition Silvopastoral system Litter Nutritive value Fodder Biogeochemical cycle Brachiaria Agroecosystem Soils Nitrogen cycle Leguminosae Food intake Herbaceous plant Spermatophyta
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Summary:	In the south-eastern region of Brazil there are millions of hectares of deforested, almost-treeless hillsides with sparse ground-cover of grasses of African origin. For the establishment of more productive pastures in these areas, silvopastoral systems (SPSs) have been recommended, and the objective of this study was to quantify the N fluxes in the soil/plant/animal systems as a means compare the sustainability of a SPS planted with legume trees (Acacia mangium and Mimosa artemisiana) and eucalyptus, compared to that of a grass-alone Brachiaria decumbens (BDH) pasture. The annual live weight gain of Zebu × Friesian heifers, assessed 5 years after pasture establishment, was significantly higher on the SPS than on the grass-alone pasture, at 205 and 177 kg head⁻¹ year⁻¹ respectively. The N deposited as animal excreta (38–49 kg ha⁻¹ for BDH and SPS, respectively), especially urine, is considered to be much more susceptible to loss than N derived from decomposing plant litter, and was found to be much less than the N recycled though the grass litter (107 and 114 kg ha⁻¹, respectively) in both systems. The extra N recycled in tree-leaf and grass litter increased this by 34 kg N ha⁻¹ in the SPS and we conclude that this would contribute to sustain forage productivity. The added advantage of trees in the provision of shade for the animals and protection from soil erosion should further contribute to the long term sustainable productivity of this SPS.
Bibliography:	http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10705-014-9617-x ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23
ISSN:	1385-1314 1573-0867
DOI:	10.1007/s10705-014-9617-x