Free Standard AU & NZ Shipping For All Book Orders Over $80!
Register      Login
Soil Research Soil Research Society
Soil, land care and environmental research
Shopping Cart: ( empty )
You are here: Home > Journals > SR > SR07115
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 47(2)

Effect of cotton–cowpea intercropping on C and N mineralisation patterns of residue mixtures and soil

L. Rusinamhodzi A C , H. K. Murwira A and J. Nyamangara B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A TSBF-CIAT Zimbabwe, Box MP228, Mt Pleasant, Harare, Zimbabwe.

B Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Engineering, University of Zimbabwe, Box MP167, Mt Pleasant, Harare, Zimbabwe.

C Corresponding author. Email: l.rusinamhodzi@cgiar.org

Australian Journal of Soil Research 47(2) 190-197 https://doi.org/10.1071/SR07115
Submitted: 8 August 2008  Accepted: 29 October 2008   Published: 31 March 2009

Abstract

Carbon and nitrogen mineralisation potential of mixed cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) and cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp) crop residues produced under intercropping, as well as a reddish-brown soil classified by FAO as Ferralic Cambisol previously under intercrops, were studied over a 10-week incubation period under controlled conditions (25°C and moisture content of 70% field capacity, 125 mm) in the laboratory. Treatments consisted of cotton residues (100 : 0), cowpea residues (0 : 100), and cotton–cowpea residues (50 : 50, 70 : 30, and 30 : 70). These ratios were based on yields obtained in different cotton–cowpea intercrop treatments from a field study. Cowpea residues (0 : 100) released the highest amount of mineral N of 36.4 mg/kg soil, and cotton residues (100 : 0) least, 19.2 mg/kg soil, while the other mixtures were in between. All treatments except for cowpea residues (0 : 100) and the 30 : 70 mixture showed immobilisation of soil N during the first 2 weeks of incubation. The trend for C mineralisation was similar to that of N, and cowpea residues (0 : 100) released the highest amount, 492 mg C/kg soil, while cotton residues (100 : 0) recorded the least, 315 mg C/kg soil. The C mineralisation patterns of cowpea residues (0 : 100) and 30 : 70 treatments were exponential and were well described by the equation:

SR07115_E1a.gif

where CE is exponentially mineralisable C fraction, k is the rate constant, and t is time in days. The mineralisation patterns for other treatments were sigmoidal and were well described by the equation:

SR07115_E1b.gif

where CS is sigmoidally mineralisable C fraction; t 0 is time in days required for complete mineralisation of CS , while k is rate constant. The amount of N released from soil previously under cotton–cowpea intercrops and sole crops was approximately one-third of the amount released when the residues were incorporated. The highest amount of N released (12.2 mg/kg soil) was from soil previously under sole cowpea, while soil from the 1 : 1 cotton–cowpea intercrop released 9.9 mg/kg soil and soil from sole cotton released 5.9 mg/kg soil. There was no significant effect (P > 0.05) of previous crop on C mineralisation patterns of the soil. Mixtures slow down N losses and increase nutrient use efficiency of legume residues, especially in the short-term. When cotton is grown as a sole crop, starter N to offset negative effects of initial N-immobilisation at the start of season is required. A better understanding of controlling parameters of decomposition can make it possible to predict C and N mineralisation patterns in mixtures. Reduced C mineralisation in cotton–cowpea mixtures may result in more C sequestration and, hence, SOM build-up and improved sustainability in the long term in intercropping systems.

Additional keywords: cotton–cowpea intercropping, carbon and nitrogen mineralisation, crop residue mixtures.


Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Engineering of the University of Zimbabwe for laboratory space and equipment. Financial support from TSBF-CIAT through the IFAD Grant is greatly appreciated.


References


Allmaras RR, Copeland SM, Copeland PJ, Oussible M (1996) Spatial relations between oat residue and ceramic spheres when incorporated sequentially by tillage. Soil Science Society of America Journal 60, 1209–1216.
|  CAS |
open url image1

Anderson JM , Ingram JSI (1993) ‘Tropical soil biology and fertility: A hand book of methods.’ (CAB International: UK)

Anderson JPE (1982) Soil respiration. In ‘Methods of soil analysis. Part 2: Chemical and microbiological properties’. Agronomy Monograph No. 9. (Ed. AL Page) pp. 831–871. (SSSA-ASA: Madison, WI)

Blaise D, Bhaskar KS (2003) Carbon mineralization patterns of cotton leaves and stems in vertisols and inceptisols. Archives of Agronomy and Soil Science 49, 171–177.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | open url image1

Bouyoucos GJ (1936) Directions for making mechanical analysis of soils by the hydrometer method. Soil Science 42, 225–228.
|  CAS |
open url image1

Bremner JM (1982) Inorganic forms of nitrogen. In ‘Methods of soil analysis. Part 2: Agronomy Monograph No. 9’. (Ed. CA Black) pp. 1179–1237. (American Society of Agronomy: Madison, WI)

Bremner JM , Mulvaney CS (1982) Nitrogen – total. In ‘Methods of soil analysis. Part 2: Chemical and microbiological properties’. Agronomy Monograph No. 9. (Eds AL Page, RH Miller, DR Keeney) pp. 595–624. (SSSA-ASA: Madison, WI)

Burket JZ , Dick P (1997) Long-term vegetation management in relation to accumulation and mineralization of nitrogen in soils. In ‘Driven by nature: plant litter quality and decomposition’. (Eds G Cadisch, KE Giller) pp. 283–296. (CAB International: Wallingford, UK)

Cadisch G , Giller KE (1997) ‘Driven by nature: plant residue quality and decomposition.’ (CAB International: Wallingford, UK)

Cassman KG, Munns DN (1980) Nitrogen mineralization as affected by soil moisture, temperature and depth. Soil Science Society of America Journal 44, 1233–1237.
|  CAS |
open url image1

Cataldo DA, Haroon M, Schrader LE, Youngs VL (1975) Rapid colorimetric determination of nitrate in plant tissue. Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis 6, 71–80.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | open url image1

Conteh A, Blair GJ, Rochester IJ (1998) Soil organic carbon fractions in a Vertisol under irrigated cotton production as affected by burning and incorporating cotton stubble. Australian Journal of Soil Research 36, 655–667.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | open url image1

Cotton Training Center (2000) ‘Zimbabwe cotton handbook.’ (CTC: Kadoma, Zimbabwe)

CRI (Cotton Research Institute) (1996) Annual report 1993–94. Department of Research and Specialist Services, Harare, Zimbabwe.

Day PR (1965) Particle fractionation and particle size analysis. In ‘Methods of soil analysis’. (Ed. CA Black) pp. 545–567. (American Society of Agronomy: Madison, WI)

Folin O, Denis WA (1915) Colorimetric method for the determination of phenols (and phenol derivatives) in urine. Biological Chemistry 22, 305–308.
|  CAS |
open url image1

Fotyma M, Jadczyszyn T, Jozefaciuk G (1998) Hundredth molar calcium chloride extraction procedure. Part II: Calibration with conventional soil testing methods for pH. Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis 29, 1625–1632.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | open url image1

Frankenberger WT, Abdelmagid HM (1985) Kinetic parameters of nitrogen mineralization rates of leguminous crop incorporated into soil. Plant and Soil 87, 257–271.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Franzluebbers K, Juo ASR, Manu A (1994) Decomposition of cowpea and millet amendments to a sandy Alfisol in Niger. Plant and Soil 167, 255–265.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | open url image1

Fritschi FB, Roberts BA, Rains DW, Travis RL, Hutmacher RB (2005) Recovery of residual fertilizer-N and cotton residue-N by Acala and Pima cotton. Soil Science Society of America Journal 69, 718–772.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | open url image1

Genstat (2002) ‘Genstat Release 6.1.’ (VSN International Ltd: Oxford, UK)

Gregory JM, McCarty TR, Ghidey F, Alberts EE (1985) Derivation and evaluation of a residue decay equation. Transactions of American Society of Agricultural Engineers 28, 98–101. open url image1

Handayanto E, Giller KE, Cadisch G (1997) Nitrogen mineralization from mixtures of legume tree prunings of different quality and recovery of nitrogen by maize. Soil Biology & Biochemistry 29, 147–1426.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

IUSS Working Group WRB (2006) ‘World reference base for soil resources 2006.’ World Soil Resources Reports No. 103. (FAO: Rome)

Janzen HH (1987) Soil organic matter characteristics after long-term cropping to various spring wheat rotations. Canadian Journal of Soil Science 67, 845–856. open url image1

Janzen HH (2006) The soil carbon dilemma: Shall we hoard it or use it? Soil Biology & Biochemistry 38, 419–424.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | open url image1

Mafongoya PL, Nair PKR, Dzowela BH (1998) Mineralization of nitrogen from decomposing leaves of multipurpose trees as affected by their chemical composition. Biology and Fertility of Soils 27, 143–148.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | open url image1

Marquardt DW (1963) An algorithm for least squares estimation of parameters. Journal of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics 11, 431–441.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

McGill WB, Myers RJK (1987) Controls on dynamics of soil and fertilizer nitrogen. Soil fertility and organic matter as critical components of production systems. Soil Science Society of America Journal – Special Publication 19, 73–99. open url image1

Nelson DW , Sommers LE (1982) Total carbon, organic carbon and organic matter. In ‘Methods of soil analysis. Part 2: Chemical and microbiological properties’. (Eds AL Page, RH Miller, DR Keeney) pp. 539–577. (American Society of Agronomy: Madison, WI)

Nourbakhsh F (2006) Fate of carbon and nitrogen from plant residue decomposition in a calcareous soil. Plant, Soil and Environment 52, 137–140.
|  CAS |
open url image1

Nyamangara J, Mugwira LM, Mpofu SE (2000) Soil fertility status in the communal areas of Zimbabwe in relation to sustainable crop production. Sustainable Agriculture Journal 16, 15–29.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Nyamapfene KW (1991) ‘Soils of Zimbabwe.’ (Nehanda Publishers: Harare, Zimbabwe)

Olsen SR , Sommers LE (1982) Phosphorus. In ‘Methods of soil analysis. Part 2: Chemical and microbiological properties’. (Eds AL Page, RH Miller, DR Keeney) pp. 403–430. (American Society of Agronomy: Madison, WI)

Probert ME, Dimes JP, Keating BA, Dalal RC, Strong WM (1998) APSIM’s water and nitrogen modules and simulation of the dynamics of water and nitrogen in fallow systems. Agricultural Systems 56, 1–28.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Quemada M, Cabrera ML, McCracken DV (1997) Nitrogen release from surface-applied cover crop residues: evaluating the CERES-N sub-model. Agronomie 89, 723–729. open url image1

Recous S, Robin D, Darwis D, Mary B (1995) Soil inorganic N availability: effect on maize residue decomposition. Soil Biology & Biochemistry 27, 1529–1538.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | open url image1

Rochester IJ, Constable GA, MacLeod DA (1992) Preferential nitrate immobilization in alkaline soils. Australian Journal of Soil Research 30, 737–749.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | open url image1

Rochester IJ, Constable GA, MacLeod DA (1993) Cycling of fertilizer and cotton crop residue nitrogen. Australian Journal of Soil Research 31, 597–609.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | open url image1

Rochester IJ, Constable GA, Saffigna PG (1997) Retention of cotton stubble enhances N fertilizer recovery and lint yield of irrigated cotton. Soil & Tillage Research 41, 75–86.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Rusinamhodzi L, Murwira HK, Nyamangara J (2006) Cotton–cowpea intercropping and its N2 fixation capacity improves yield of a subsequent maize crop under Zimbabwean rain-fed conditions. Plant and Soil 287, 327–336.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | open url image1

Sakala WD, Cadisch G, Giller KE (2000) Interactions between residues of maize and pigeonpea and mineral N fertilizers during decomposition and N mineralization. Soil Biology & Biochemistry 32, 679–688.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | open url image1

Seligman NG , Van Keulen HP (1981) A simulation model of annual pasture production limited by rainfall and nitrogen. In ‘Simulation of nitrogen behaviour of soil–plant systems’. (Eds MJ Frissel, JA Van Veen) pp. 192–221. (PUDOC: Wageningen, The Netherlands)

Stanford G, Smith SJ (1972) Nitrogen mineralization potentials of soils. Soil Science Society of America Journal 36, 465–472.
|  CAS |
open url image1

Systat Software (2004) Using the regression wizard. In ‘Sigmaplot 9.0 User manual. Systat Software’. pp. 691–741. (Systat Software: Point Richmond, CA)

Thompson JG , Purves WD (1978) A guide to the soils of Rhodesia. Technical handbook No. 3. Rhodesia Agriculural Journal, p. 64.

Trinsoutrot I, Recous S, Bentz B, Lineres M, Cheneby D, Nicolardot L (2000) Biochemical quality of crop residues and C and N mineralization kinetics under non-limiting nitrogen conditions. Soil Science Society of America Journal 64, 918–926.
|  CAS |
open url image1

Vanlauwe B (1996) Residue quality, decomposition and soil organic matter dynamics under sub-humid tropical conditions. PhD Thesis, Leuven Catholic University, Belgium.

Van Soest PJ, Wine RH (1968) Determination of lignin and cellulose in acid-detergent fibre with permanganate. Official Journal of Agricultural Chemists Association 51, 780–785.
|  CAS |
open url image1

Verberne ELJ, Hassink J, De Willigen P, Groot JJR, Van Veen JA (1990) Modelling organic dynamics in different soils. Netherlands Journal of Agricultural Science 38, 221–238.
|  CAS |
open url image1

Walkley A (1947) A critical examination of a rapid method for determining organic carbon in soils. Effects of variations in digestion conditions and inorganic soil constituents. Soil Science 63, 251–263.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | CAS | open url image1

Zibilske LM, Materon LA (2005) Biochemical properties of decomposing cotton and corn stem and root residues. Soil Science Society of America Journal 69, 378–386.
|  CAS |
open url image1

Zingore S, Mafongoya P, Nyamugafata P, Giller KE (2003) Nitrogen mineralization and maize yields following application of tree prunings to a sandy soil in Zimbabwe. Agroforestry Systems 57, 199–211.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1