Soil Biology and Agriculture in the Tropics PDF
Preview Soil Biology and Agriculture in the Tropics
Soil Biology Volume 21 Series Editor Ajit Varma, Amity Institute of Microbial Technology, Amity University Uttar Pradesh, Noida, UP, India Forfurther volumes: http://www.springer.com/series/5138 Patrice Dion Editor Soil Biology and Agriculture in the Tropics Editor ProfessorDr.PatriceDion De´partementdephytologie PavillonCharles-Euge`ne-Marchand 1030,avenuedelaMe´decine Universite´Laval Que´bec(Que´bec)G1V0A6 Canada [email protected] ISSN:1613-3382 ISBN:978-3-642-05075-6 e-ISBN:978-3-642-05076-3 DOI10.1007/978-3-642-05076-3 SpringerHeidelbergDordrechtLondonNewYork SoilBiology LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2010920235 #Springer-VerlagBerlinHeidelberg2010 Thisworkissubjecttocopyright.Allrightsarereserved,whetherthewholeorpartofthematerialis concerned,specificallytherightsoftranslation,reprinting,reuseofillustrations,recitation,broadcasting, reproductiononmicrofilmorinanyotherway,andstorageindatabanks.Duplicationofthispublication orpartsthereofispermittedonlyundertheprovisionsoftheGermanCopyrightLawofSeptember9, 1965,initscurrentversion,andpermissionforusemustalwaysbeobtainedfromSpringer.Violations areliabletoprosecutionundertheGermanCopyrightLaw. Theuseofgeneraldescriptivenames,registerednames,trademarks,etc.inthispublicationdoesnot imply,evenintheabsenceofaspecificstatement,thatsuchnamesareexemptfromtherelevantprotec- tivelawsandregulationsandthereforefreeforgeneraluse. Coverdesign:SPIPublisherServices Printedonacid-freepaper SpringerispartofSpringerScience+BusinessMedia(www.springer.com) Preface All humanactionsare aresponse. Some areelicitedbyneed, others byfantasy or curiosity,orelsebyanxietyorparticularfeelings.Someactionsareperformedon the spot and others are indefinitely postponed or brought to existence only in our dreams. Much toour relief, thisultimatefate willnotbethat ofthe present book, whichhasbeenpreparedunderasenseofurgencythatboththescientificandday- to-day experience inspire. The criticality of tropical agriculture is made manifest everywhere,throughacrucialeconomic,social,andecologicalNorth–Southinter- play.Althoughthesoilisoftenexplicitlyignoredinthisdialog,italwaysremains anissue,sincethedevelopmentandsurvivalofcivilizationsdependonthestateof the soils they exploit. Humanity’s future may lie at skin-of-earth depth, and nowhereisthisskinsofragileandbruisedthaninthetropics. Whereas the Ancients maintaineda richtradition ofagricultural representation inpoems,paintings, andotherworksoffineart,Christianity conceivedofGod as being uninterested in agriculture. What is more, the labors of the soil were attrib- utedanegativevalue,astheyhavebeenviewedasapunishmenttothosewhowere reckless enough to commit the original sin. As a result and with some notable exceptions, a world was created by artists and then embraced by an increasingly dominantculture,wherefoodoftendidnotexistor,whenitdid,cameasamagical, unproduced entity. Now food production is being reinserted in the collective imaginary of the developed world, as the fragility of our civilization’s biological foundationsisbeinginsistentlybroughttoourcollectiveconscience. SomereadersofthisPrefacewillrememberwithnostalgiathefictionsofEdgar Rice Burroughs, where the tropical “jungle” was endowed with the power to overwhelm human nature and reversibly mould an English Lord into a gracious and largely innocuous tree dweller. More prosaically, the reverse is happening today, as the various tropical milieus have become an ever-regressing frontier of humanexpansion.Soilsofthetropics,inparticular,yieldwithamazingeasetothe destructive power of our agricultural processes. It is the purpose of this book to present the soil component of tropical agriculture, and to document some tools and strategies that will contribute to its preservation. Deforestation, erosion, v vi Preface salinization, and other forms of soil degradation arise as a consequence of our increasing needs and purchasing power. Nowhere are these effects made more evident than under tropical latitudes. The authors of this book have highlighted whythisisso,andwhatsolutionscanbeenvisioned. By showing how they are shaped through the interplay of parent materials and climates,Chap.1illustratesthepeculiaritiesofthesoilsofthetropics.Thisanalysis naturallyleadstoadescriptionofthemaintypesofsoilsfoundinthetropics,andis pursuedinChap.2byanextensivesurveyandcompilationoftheliteraturedealing with organic matter and soil biomass. In a precise and concise manner, these two introductorychapterstogetherprovideafoundationfordiscussionsonsoilbiology tobefoundinthefollowingcontributions. The next three chapters deal with various aspects of soil management. The conversion of forested land to agricultural use brings about profound changes in the structure and function of microbial communities. This effect is unevenly distributed among microbial taxonomical or physiological types. The coexistence of crop plants and soil microorganisms can be oriented and exploited so as to promote the sustainability of agricultural practices and the preservation of biodi- versity:thisistheobjectiveofconservationagriculture.Bycontrast,slashandburn agriculture appears as a rather intrusive and even destructive process, especially when accompanied by heavy population pressures. However, in this case also, microorganismscanbeusedsoastomitigateimpactsandpromotesustainability. DesertsoilsandinundatedricefieldsaresequentiallypresentedinChaps.7and 8, offering illuminating contrast. In arid soils, some plants define a perimeter, or resource island, within which microbial and plant life thrives with enhanced intensity. While being virtually aquatic environments, inundated rice fields also provide examples of mutual dependencies, with interrelated life forms relying on co-metabolism,associations,andsymbioses. Being privileged objects of microbiological research performed on temperate soils, microbial associations with plants are of major impact in tropical settings: theiressentialitytotropicalagricultureiseloquentlydemonstratedinChaps.8–11. Rhizobia interact both with legume and nonlegume tropical hosts, often showing little host specificity and a broad range of effects. Likewise, mycorrhizas exert profound influences on plant communities assembled under agroforestry manage- ment,establishinglargenetworksinvolvedinnutrientcirculation,maintenanceof plant biodiversity,anddetermination of soilstructure. Althoughthey do notelicit the formation of visible root structures, the phosphate-solubilizing bacteria are an integralpartoftheplantmicrobiomeandactthroughavarietyofwell-characterized mechanisms. These various plant-associated microorganisms may be formulated and commercialized as biofertilizers, which are particularly appealing to small- holderfarmersofthetropics. Problems related to pesticide use and wastewater irrigation are of paramount importance considering the fragility and instability of tropical ecosystems. Pesti- cides, which are applied worldwide and hence provide a virtually universal and specific selection pressure, offer a unique opportunity to those wishing to explore the largely uncharted terrain of microbial biogeography. By contrast, wastewater Preface vii irrigation is a practice specific to areas with lesser economical resource; it is enmeshed in social and cultural values and presents health risks which call for adaptedsolutions. Thebookcloseswithadiscussionoftraditionalsoilknowledge,highlightingits significanceasacomponentofthehumanexperienceandproposingthatitshould become integrated with all forms of knowledge so as to produce a renewed frameworkforourinteractionwiththeworld. Inassemblingandorderingthechaptersofthisbook,wehavedeemeditbestto delineateacontinuoustrajectorythroughthevarioussubdisciplinesandconceptsof soil biology: hence, the chapters come in a continuous flow, rather than being groupedin sections. The intention here is toprovidea sense of integration, as the soil itself, with its various horizons and its organic and mineral components, constitutes a complex and multiply integrated whole. While we hope this notion willbeconveyedtothereader,certainlyithasbeensharedbyallthecontributorsof thepresentvolume,whohavedemonstratedoverthelast18monthsacommunityof thoughtandobjectives.Ithankthemherefortheirprofessionalismanddedication. MythanksalsogotoProfessorAjitVarma,SoilBiologySeriesEditor,andDr.Jutta Lindenborn,SpringerManagingEditor,fortheircarefulguidanceandpatience,to Marie-Claude Julien for preparing the index, and to Ce´cile Gauthier for checking thereferences. Que´becCity,Canada PatriceDion Contents 1 SoilsoftheTropics ....................................................... 1 StephenNortcliff 2 OrganicMatterandMicro-OrganismsinTropicalSoils ............. 17 RainerGeorgJoergensen 3 ImpactsofForestConversiontoAgricultureonMicrobial CommunitiesandMicrobialFunction ................................. 45 LouisV.Verchot 4 TheStructuralandFunctionalBiodiversityofSoil: AnInterdisciplinaryVisionforConservation AgricultureinBrazil .................................................... 65 GustavoRibeiroXavier,MariaElizabethFernandesCorreia, AdrianaMariadeAquino,JerriE´dsonZilli, andNormaGouveˆaRumjanek 5 ThePotentialofSoilBeneficialMicro-Organismsfor Slash-and-BurnAgricultureintheHumidForestZone ofSub-SaharanAfrica ................................................... 81 Dieudonne´ Nwaga,JanJansa,MoniqueAbossoloAngue, andEmmanuelFrossard 6 MicrobialPopulationsofAridLandsandtheirPotential forRestorationofDeserts .............................................. 109 YoavBashanandLuzE.de-Bashan 7 ExploringtheEcologicalSignificanceofMicrobial DiversityandNetworkingintheRiceEcosystem .................... 139 RadhaPrasanna,LataNain,AlokKumarPandey,andSaswatiNayak ix x Contents 8 RhizobialSymbiosesinTropicalLegumesandNon-Legumes ...... 163 AlineLo´pez-Lo´pez,Mo´nicaRosenblueth,JulioMart´ınez, andEsperanzaMart´ınez-Romero 9 MycorrhizalAssociationsinAgroforestrySystems .................. 185 Andre´ MundstockXavierdeCarvalho,RodrigodeCastroTavares, IreneMariaCardoso,andThomasW.Kuyper 10 AgriculturalDevelopmentinTropicalAcidicSoils: PotentialandLimitsofPhosphate-SolubilizingBacteria ............ 209 LuisAndre´sYarza´bal 11 RoleofMicrobialBiofertilizersintheDevelopment ofaSustainableAgricultureintheTropics .......................... 235 DanielUribe,JimenaSa´nchez-Nieves, andJavierVanegas 12 MicrobialDegradationofPesticidesinTropicalSoils ............... 251 ZivArbeliandCiliaL.Fuentes 13 SoilandCropContaminationThroughWastewater IrrigationandOptionsforRiskReductionin DevelopingCountries ................................................... 275 RobertC.Abaidoo,BernardKeraita,PayDrechsel, PriyankaDissanayake,andAkpleS.Maxwell 14 TowardsaNewPurposeforTraditionalandOther FormsofSoilKnowledge ............................................... 299 PatriceDion Index ........................................................................... 317 Contributors Abaidoo, Robert C. International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Ibadan, Nigeria;Provost,CollegeofAgricultureandNaturalResources,KwameNkrumah UniversityofScienceandTechnology(KNUST),UniversityPostOffice,Kumasi, Ghana,[email protected] Abossolo Angue, Monique Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Science, UniversityofYaounde´ I,Cameroon Arbeli, Ziv Facultad Agronom´ıa, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Sede Bogota´,A.A.14490,Bogota´,D.C.,Colombia,[email protected] Bashan, Yoav Environmental Microbiology Group, Northwestern Center for Biological Research (CIBNOR), La Paz, B.C.S., Mexico; Department of Soil, Water and Environmental Science, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA;BashanFoundation,Corvallis,Oregon,USA,[email protected] Cardoso,IreneMaria DepartmentofSoilScience,FederalUniversityofVic¸osa, Vic¸osa,MinasGerais,Brazil,36570-000,[email protected] deAquino,AdrianaMaria EmbrapaAgrobiologia,BR465,km7,P.O.Box74505, Serope´dica,RJ,Brazil,Cep23.890-000,[email protected] de-Bashan,LuzEstela EnvironmentalMicrobiologyGroup,NorthwesternCenter for Biological Research (CIBNOR), La Paz, B.C.S., Mexico; Bashan Foundation, Corvallis,Oregon,USA,[email protected] de Carvalho, Andre´ Mundstock Xavier Department of Soil Science, Federal UniversityofVic¸osa,Vic¸osa,MinasGerais,Brazil,36570-000,andremundstock@ yahoo.com.br Dion, Patrice De´partement de phytologie, Pavillon Charles-Euge`ne Marchand, 1030, avenue de la Me´decine, Universite´ Laval, Que´bec (Que´bec) Canada G1V 0A6,[email protected] xi xii Contributors Dissanayake,Priyanka InternationalWaterManagementInstitute,P.O.Box2075, Colombo,SriLanka,[email protected] Drechsel, Pay International Water Management Institute, P.O. Box 2075, Colombo,SriLanka,[email protected] FernandesCorreia,MariaElizabeth EmbrapaAgrobiologia,BR465,km7,P.O. Box74505,Serope´dica,RJ,Brazil,Cep23.890-000,[email protected] Frossard, Emmanuel ETH Zurich, Institute of Plant Sciences, FMG C 23 CH-8315Lindau(ZH),Switzerland Fuentes,CiliaL. FacultadAgronom´ıa,UniversidadNacionaldeColombia,Sede Bogota´,A.A.14490,Bogota´,D.C.,Colombia,[email protected] Jansa,Jan ETHZurich,InstituteofPlantSciences,FMGC23CH-8315Lindau (ZH),Switzerland Joergensen, Rainer Georg Department of Soil Biology and Plant Nutrition, University of Kassel, Nordbahnhofstr. 1a, 37213 Witzenhausen, Germany, [email protected] Keraita,Bernard InternationalWaterManagementInstitute(IWMI),WestAfrica Office,PMBCT112,Accra,Ghana;DepartmentofInternationalHealth,University ofCopenhagen,Denmark,[email protected] Kuyper, Thomas W. Department of Soil Quality, Wageningen University, P.O. BOX47,6700AAWageningen,TheNetherlands,[email protected] Lo´pez-Lo´pez,Aline EcologicalGenomicsProgram,CentrodeCienciasGeno´mi- cas, UNAM, Avenida Universidad SN, Chamilpa, Cuernavaca, Mor. 62210, Mexico Martı´nez, Julio Ecological Genomics Program, Centro de Ciencias Geno´micas, UNAM,AvenidaUniversidadSN,Chamilpa,Cuernavaca,Mor.62210,Mexico Martı´nez-Romero,Esperanza EcologicalGenomicsProgram,CentrodeCiencias Geno´micas, UNAM, Avenida Universidad SN, Chamilpa, Cuernavaca, Mor. 62210,Mexico,[email protected] Maxwell, Akple S. International Water Management Institute (IWMI), KNUST liaisonoffice,Kumasi,Ghana,[email protected] Nain, Lata Division of Microbiology, Indian Agricultural Research Institute, NewDelhi110012,[email protected] Nayak, Saswati National Institute of Science, Technology and Developmental Studies,NewDelhi110012,[email protected]
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