Abstract
In Central America, the traditional cropping system milpa de año (summer season) and tornamilpa (winter season) were compared over 3 yr (2007–2009). Our experimental objectives were to measure the performance of a maize ( Zea mays L.)–velvet bean [ Mucuna pruriens (L.) DC. subsp. utilis (Wight) Burck] milpa system throughout the summer and winter cultivation, to detect any problems associated with velvet bean use, and to determine the contribution of this tropical legume to soil fertility and maize productivity. In each crop season (separated in space and time) we used a completely randomized design with a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments with five repetitions each: without velvet bean and without fertilizer (–V–F), with velvet bean and without fertilizer (+V–F), without velvet bean and with fertilizer (–V+F), and with velvet bean and with fertilizer (+V+F). Results showed that in the winter milpas the presence of velvet bean significantly increased the soil pH, organic matter content, total N, and decreased soil bulk density. In both cycles (winter and summer), treatment with velvet bean (+V) produced higher grain yield, while the treatment without velvet bean (–V) had a lower production. We concluded that the use of velvet bean in the winter milpa contributed to the restoration of soil fertility and increased yield maize in agricultural systems of the small‐holder farmers based on low external input.
Abstract from the paper’s OpenAlex record, shown for indexing and research. Copyright remains with the authors or the publisher. Read at the source ↗
The text the model read, with the source record’s inline markup (italics, sub- and superscripts) rendered and its character entities decoded; quote offsets refer to the raw text.
Claims 6
Claim · model-written summary
Velvet bean increased winter-milpa soil pH.
- Treatment
- velvet beane0
- Outcome
- soil pHe0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Comparator
- without velvet beane1
- Setting
- winter milpase0
Zea maysOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“in the winter milpas the presence of velvet bean significantly increased the soil pH, organic matter content, total N, and decreased soil bulk density”
t0“Maize”
e1“without velvet bean and without fertilizer”
Claim · model-written summary
Velvet bean increased winter-milpa soil organic matter.
- Treatment
- velvet beane0
- Outcome
- organic matter contente0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Comparator
- without velvet beane1
- Setting
- winter milpase0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“in the winter milpas the presence of velvet bean significantly increased the soil pH, organic matter content, total N, and decreased soil bulk density”
t0“Maize”
e1“without velvet bean and without fertilizer”
Claim · model-written summary
Velvet bean increased winter-milpa soil total nitrogen.
- Treatment
- velvet beane0
- Outcome
- total Ne0
- Direction
- increasede0
- Comparator
- without velvet beane1
- Setting
- winter milpase0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“in the winter milpas the presence of velvet bean significantly increased the soil pH, organic matter content, total N, and decreased soil bulk density”
t0“Maize”
e1“without velvet bean and without fertilizer”
Claim · model-written summary
Velvet bean decreased winter-milpa soil bulk density.
- Treatment
- velvet beane0
- Outcome
- soil bulk densitye0
- Direction
- decreasede0
- Comparator
- without velvet beane1
- Setting
- winter milpase0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“in the winter milpas the presence of velvet bean significantly increased the soil pH, organic matter content, total N, and decreased soil bulk density”
t0“Maize”
e1“without velvet bean and without fertilizer”
Claim · model-written summary
Velvet bean raised maize grain yield in both summer and winter cycles.
- Treatment
- velvet bean (+V)e0
- Outcome
- grain yielde0
- Direction
- highere0
- Comparator
- without velvet bean (–V)e0
- Setting
- winter and summere0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“In both cycles (winter and summer), treatment with velvet bean (+V) produced higher grain yield, while the treatment without velvet bean (–V) had a lower production”
t0“Maize”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors conclude velvet bean in winter milpas restored soil fertility.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the use of velvet bean in the winter milpa contributed to the restoration of soil fertility”
t0“Maize”
The same questions in other papers
Mucuna pruriens var. utilis · yield · Zea mays (maize)Results differ
10 papers in the same direction as this paper · 4 in the opposite direction · 1 reporting no difference from an alternative
- positive
- positive
- negative
12 papers more in this group
See all 16 papers →Mucuna pruriens var. utilis · nutrient: content · Zea mays (maize)Positive and negative results
1 paper in the same direction as this paper · 1 in the opposite direction
- negative
- positive
Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.