Earthworms regulate plant productivity and the efficacy of soil fertility amendments in acid soils of the Colombian Llanos

Simple item page
cg.contributor.affiliationInternational Center for Tropical Agricultureen
cg.coverage.countryColombia
cg.coverage.iso3166-alpha2CO
cg.coverage.regionLatin America
cg.coverage.regionSouth America
cg.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2018.11.016en
cg.isijournalISI Journalen
cg.issn0038-0717en
cg.journalSoil Biology and Biochemistryen
cg.reviewStatusPeer Reviewen
cg.subject.ciatECOSYSTEM SERVICESen
cg.subject.ciatSOIL INFORMATIONen
cg.volume129en
dc.contributor.authorFonte, Steven J.en
dc.contributor.authorBotero, Césaren
dc.contributor.authorQuintero, Carolinaen
dc.contributor.authorLavelle, Patrick M.en
dc.contributor.authorKessel, Chris vanen
dc.date.accessioned2018-11-22T14:56:47Zen
dc.date.available2018-11-22T14:56:47Zen
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10568/98285
dc.titleEarthworms regulate plant productivity and the efficacy of soil fertility amendments in acid soils of the Colombian Llanosen
dcterms.abstractThe Llanos region of Colombia represents one of the last large agricultural frontiers and is undergoing a rapid conversion from naturalized savanna to intensive agriculture with high agrochemical inputs and tillage. This massive land-use conversion has considerable impact on ecosystem services and biodiversity, particularly soil macrofauna, yet the full implications of this land-use shift for long-term agroecosystem productivity are poorly understood. To better elucidate potential land-use change impacts on agricultural production we used experimental microcosms in the greenhouse to evaluate how the common earthworm, Pontoscolex corethrurus, influences plant growth, nutrient uptake, and key soil properties relative to the application of lime and P fertilizer, both common soil fertility amendments in the region. Additionally, we aimed to explore the potential for interactions between earthworms and these amendments across distinct plant types, the grass Brachiaria decumbens and the legume Phaseolus vulgaris, which display different rooting patterns and nutrient acquisition strategies. Earthworms increased the biomass production of B. decumbens by 180% and N uptake by more than 240%, while P fertilizers and lime additions increased total biomass by less than 30% each for B. decumbens. Effects on P. vulgaris were similar, but less pronounced with earthworms increasing total biomass production by 35% and total plant N content by 70%, while neither lime nor P alone significantly influenced total biomass or N uptake. However, a significant interaction between earthworms and lime enhanced total biomass N content of P. vulgaris by more than 150% relative to microcosms without P. corethrurus, suggesting that earthworms can greatly enhance the efficacy of lime in soils. Additionally, we found that earthworms greatly improved soil aggregation, but only in the presence of plants, and that this effect was most prominent in microcosms with P. vulgaris. When testing treatment effects on soil P availability, only fertilizer P additions significantly influenced resin P, but not microbial biomass P. Our findings suggests the importance of developing management strategies that promote the activity and diversity of earthworms and other soil biota as a means to enhance crop productivity, resource use efficiency and a range of soil-based ecosystem services in the Llanos region and beyond.en
dcterms.accessRightsOpen Access
dcterms.bibliographicCitationFonte, Steven J.; Botero, Cesar; Quintero, Carolina; Lavelle, Patrick & van Kessel, Chris. (2018). Earthworms regulate plant productivity and the efficacy of soil fertility amendments in acid soils of the Colombian Llanos, Soil Biology and Biochemistry. 129: 136-143.en
dcterms.extentp. 136-143en
dcterms.issued2019-02en
dcterms.languageen
dcterms.licenseCopyrighted; all rights reserved
dcterms.publisherElsevieren
dcterms.subjectbrachiaria decumbensen
dcterms.subjectlimesen
dcterms.subjectphaseolus vulgarisen
dcterms.subjectphosphorusen
dcterms.subjectpontoscolex corethrurusen
dcterms.subjectsoil fertilityen
dcterms.subjectcolombiaen
dcterms.subjectland useen
dcterms.subjectmicrobiologyen
dcterms.typeJournal Article

Files

Original bundle

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
M- Earthworms regulate plant productivity and the efficacy of soil fertility amendments in acid soils of the Colombian Llanos.pdf
Size:
898.13 KB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Description:
Author's version
Download

License bundle

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
license.txt
Size:
1.75 KB
Format:
Item-specific license agreed upon to submission
Description:
Download

Collections

CIAT Articles in Journals
CIAT Soils