Conventional, intensively managed coffee plantations are currently facing environmental challenges. The use of shade trees and the organic management of coffee crops are welcome alternatives, aiming to reduce synthetic inputs and restore soil biological balance. However, little is known about the impacts of the different types of shade tree species on soil functioning and fauna. In this paper, we assess soil nutrient availability and food web structure on a 17-year old experimental coffee plantation in Turrialba in Costa Rica. Three shade types (unshaded coffee, shaded with Terminalia amazonia, and shaded with Erythrina poepiggiana) combined with two management practices (organic and conventional) were evaluated. Total C and N, inorganic N and Olsen P content, soil pH, global soil fertility, and nematode and microarthropod communities were measured in the top 10 cm soil layer, with the objective of determining how shade tree species impact the soil food web and soil C, N and P cycling under different types of management,
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.08.291Altmetric score:
Dimensions Citation Count:
Publication year
2019
Authors
Sauvadet, M.; Van den Meersche, K.; Allinne, C.; Gay, F.; de Melo Virginio Filho, E.; Chauvat, M.; Becquer, T.; Tixier, P.; Harmand, J-M.
Language
English
Keywords
coffee, plantations, agroforestry
Geographic
Costa Rica
