Abstract
SUMMARY Biomass burning has links with a number of global concerns including soil health, food security and climate change. In central Côte d'Ivoire (West Africa), we conducted a field study to compare nutrient losses, soil fertility and yam yield in slash-and-burn versus slash-and-mulch agriculture. Trials involved five sites established in the dominant Chromolaena odorata fallows of the region, each consisting of paired plots: slash and burnt biomass (SB) versus slashed and unburnt biomass, but left to serve as mulch (SM). Carbon and five elemental nutrients were assessed in the aboveground biomass prior to burning and in ash after fires; losses were assessed by subtraction. The greatest proportions of loss occurred with C (95%), N (95%) and K (74%), corresponding to losses into the atmosphere of 3532 ± 408, 200 ± 36, 132 ± 36 kg ha −1 . Six weeks after the fire, soil properties were assessed: soil organic C, total N and Mg 2+ were higher in SM than in SB sites. At final harvest, yam tuber yield was twice as large in SM as in SB (18 ± 4 vs. 9 ± 2 Mg ha −1 ) with soil C, total N and K + as the main influential soil parameters. The key finding was that the elements lost in greatest proportion during burning were those mostly influencing yam yields. Because a clear negative relationship between biomass burning and yam production has been established the promotion of the more productive, alternate slash-and-mulch system compared to slash-and-burn system, is warranted. The findings of our research can be used in support of developing a sustainable yam production system in the region and in West Africa more generally.
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Claims 8
Claim · model-written summary
Burning lost 95% of biomass carbon.
- Taxon
- YAM (DIOSCOREA ALATA)
Dioscorea alatat0 - Outcome
- loss occurred with Ce0
- Value
- 95%e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The greatest proportions of loss occurred with C (95%)”
t0“YAM (DIOSCOREA ALATA)”
Claim · model-written summary
Burning lost 95% of biomass nitrogen.
- Taxon
- YAM (DIOSCOREA ALATA)Dioscorea alatat0
- Outcome
- Ne0
- Value
- 95%e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“N (95%)”
t0“YAM (DIOSCOREA ALATA)”
Claim · model-written summary
Burning lost 74% of biomass potassium.
- Taxon
- YAM (DIOSCOREA ALATA)Dioscorea alatat0
- Outcome
- Ke0
- Value
- 74%e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“K (74%)”
t0“YAM (DIOSCOREA ALATA)”
Claim · model-written summary
Soil organic carbon, nitrogen and magnesium were higher with mulch than burning.
- Taxon
- YAM (DIOSCOREA ALATA)Dioscorea alatat0
- Treatment
- SMe0
- Outcome
- soil organic C, total N and Mg 2+e0
- Direction
- highere0
- Comparator
- SBe0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“soil organic C, total N and Mg 2+ were higher in SM than in SB sites”
t0“YAM (DIOSCOREA ALATA)”
Claim · model-written summary
Yam tuber yield was twice as large with mulch as with burning.
Verbatim
e0“yam tuber yield was twice as large in SM as in SB (18 ± 4 vs. 9 ± 2 Mg ha −1 )”
Claim · model-written summary
Soil carbon, nitrogen and potassium were main influential parameters for yam yield.
- Taxon
- YAM (DIOSCOREA ALATA)Dioscorea alatat0
- Compound
- soil C, total N and K +e0
- Outcome
- yam tuber yielde0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“At final harvest, yam tuber yield was twice as large in SM as in SB (18 ± 4 vs. 9 ± 2 Mg ha −1 ) with soil C, total N and K + as the main influential soil parameters”
t0“YAM (DIOSCOREA ALATA)”
Claim · model-written summary
Elements lost most during burning mostly influenced yam yields.
Not reportedDirection
Verbatim
e0“the elements lost in greatest proportion during burning were those mostly influencing yam yields”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors recommend slash-and-mulch over slash-and-burn for yam production.
- Taxon
- YAM (DIOSCOREA ALATA)Dioscorea alatat0
- Outcome
- promotion of the more productive, alternate slash-and-mulch system compared to slash-and-burn systeme0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the promotion of the more productive, alternate slash-and-mulch system compared to slash-and-burn system, is warranted”
t0“YAM (DIOSCOREA ALATA)”
The same questions in other papers
mulching · yield · DioscoreaResults agree
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