Dynamics of soil properties, soil fauna activity, pepper nutrition and fruit yield under plantain based intercropping system in a humid rainforest environment

摘要

The spatial-temporal dynamics of earthworm cast production and pepper yield in a plantain-based intercropping system as affected by the addition of organic fertilizers was investigated in a humid rainforest environment. Among sampling dates and between positions within the field, inconsistent trends were obtained in cast production between hedgerow and inter-row and no tree control. Over casting activity under hedgerows, cast dry matter declined from 46% and 51% under inter-row space and no tree control. Spatial gradients in casting activity ranged from 0.006-0.04 and 0.09kg ha-1 cm-1 under no tree control while temporal gradients ranged from 0.31-0.60kg ha-1 week-1 within inter-row space and no tree control, average values across the hedgerows and inter-row space was 0.55 and 0.52kg ha-1 week-1 between all inter-row space and no tree control. The application of agricultural wastes in the inter-row spaces improved soil aggregation, water-holding capacity, soil organic matter, total N, and cation exchange capacity (CEC). Pepper grown plantain inter-row spaces with FYM and FYM + stubble produced significantly higher dry weights of root (6.4 and 6.6g plant-1), shoot (24.2 and 26.8g plant-1) and fresh weight of fruits (678 and 695g plant-1) and leaf area (0.76 and 0.80cm2), respectively, than no tree control (4.6, 20.2, 426g plant-1 and 0.54cm2).