Evaluating cover crop ecosystem services for buffering coffee against changing climate

Paper Details

Research Paper 01/10/2021
Views (1145) Download (87)
current_issue_feature_image
publication_file

Evaluating cover crop ecosystem services for buffering coffee against changing climate

Ndiritu James Mwangi, Kinama Josiah Mavindani, Muthama John Nzioka
J. Bio. Env. Sci.19( 4), 16-35, October 2021.
Certificate: JBES 2021 [Generate Certificate]

Abstract

Conventional coffee production systems relies heavily on broad-spectrum glyphosate herbicide applications and intensive tillage practices for weed control practices oblivious of the risks associated with loss of supportive ecosystems services. Agroecological alternatives integrating legume cover crops for weed control benefiting the soil ecology and optimistically enhancing ecosystem services has been missing in coffee production. This study compared low input coffee production weed control practices using conventional tillage and glyphosate herbicide application with desmodium legume cover crop as an agro ecological alternative. The study having three treatments replicated 3 times was carried out at the University of Nairobi coffee plantation at Kabete considered agro climatic zone III mirroring other Kenyan coffee production areas. Total coffee yields were compared among the three weed control practices after 15 months. Regression analysis of the yields was compared to give the differences in the yields associated with each practice. Climate predictions have indicated that coffee production systems will face climate change related challenges and farmers need to adapt resilience measures to adapt to the related environmental impacts. Results showed that desmodium legume cover crops had 1.6 times higher production per coffee bush than herbicide weed control and 1.2 times higher than hand weeding. These positive results on coffee production adaptation resulting from agro ecological modifications enhancing ecosystem services benefits should be demonstrated to farmers to enhance their understanding on the need to embrace agro ecology in their coffee production systems.

VIEWS 165

Abdalla M, Hastings A, Cheng K, Yue Q, Chadwick D, Espenberg M, Truu J, Rees RM, Smith P. 2019. A critical review of the impacts of cover crops on nitrogen leaching, net greenhouse gas balance and crop productivity. Global change biology 25(8), 2530-2543.

Alguacilmm, Lumini E, Roldán A, Salinas-García J, Bonfante P, Bianciotto V. 2008. The impact of tillage practices on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal diversity in subtropical crops. Ecological applications: Ecological Society of America 18, 527-36.

Alyokhin A, Nault B, Brown B. 2020. Soil conservation practices for insect pest management in highly disturbed agro ecosystems – a review. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata 168, 7-27.

Balkcom K, Reeves D. 2005. Sunn-Hemp Utilized as a Legume Cover Crop for Corn Production. Agronomy Journal 97, 26-31.10.2134

Begum N, Qin C, Ahanger MA, Raza S, Khan MI, Ashraf M, Ahmed N, Zhang L. 2019. Role of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi in Plant Growth Regulation: Implications in Abiotic Stress Tolerance. Frontiers in Plant Science 10, 1068.

Beniston J, Shipitalo M, Lal R, Dayton E, Hopkins D, Jones F, Joynes A, Dungait J. 2015. Carbon and macronutrient losses during accelerated erosion under different tillage and residue management. European Journal of Soil Science 66, 218-225.

Blanco-Canqui H, Claassen M, Presley D. 2012. Summer cover crops fix nitrogen, increase crop yield, and improve soil–crop relationships. Agronomy journal 104, 137-147.

BlancoCanqui H, Ruis SJ. 2020. Cover crop impacts on soil physical properties: A review. Soil Science Society of American Journal 84, 1527-1576.

Blanco-Canqui H, Shapiro CA, Wortmann CS, Drijber RA, Mamo M, Shaver TM, Ferguson RB. 2013. Soil organic carbon: The value to soil properties. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation 68, 129A-134A.

Blanco-Canqui H, Shaver TM, Lindquist JL, Shapiro CA, Elmore RW, Francis CA, Hergert GW. 2015. Cover crops and ecosystem services: Insights from studies in temperate soils. Agronomy Journal 107, 2449-2474.

Bünemann E, Bongiorno G, Bai Z, Creamer R, Deyn GB, Goede RGM, Fleskens L, Geissen V, Kuyper T,Mäder P, Pulleman M, Sukkel W, Groenigen J, Brussaard L. 2018. Soil quality – A critical review. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 120. 105. 10.1016.

Bybee-Finley K, Ryan M. 2018. Advancing Intercropping Research and Practices in Industrialized Agricultural Landscapes. Agriculture 8(6), 80.

Cabell JF, Oelofse M. 2012. An indicator framework for assessing agroecosystem resilience. Ecology and Society 17(1), 18.

Carmago M. 2010. The impact of climatic variability and climate change on Arabica coffee crop in Brazil. Bragantia 69(1), 239-247.

Craparo CW, VanAsten PJA, Läderach P, Jassogne LTP, Grab SW. 2015. Coffea arabica yields decline in Tanzania due to climate change: Global implications, Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 207, 1-10.

CRF. 2003. (Coffee Research Foundation). Weed Control in Coffee. Technical Circular No. 502

DaMatta FM, Ramalho J, Cochicho D. 2006. Impacts of drought and temperature stress on coffee physiology and production: a review. Brazilian Journal of Plant Physiology 18(1), 55-81.

DaMatta FM, Rodrigo TA, Amanda AC, Samuel CVM, José CR. 2018. Physiological and Agronomic Performance of the Coffee Crop in the Context of Climate Change and Global Warming: A Review Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 66(21), 5264-5274.

De Novais CB, Sbrana C, da Conceição JE. 2020. Mycorrhizal networks facilitate the colonization of legume roots by a symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacterium. Mycorrhiza 30, 389-396.

Delgado JA, Mosquera VHB, Alwang JR, Villacis-Aveiga A, Ayala YE, Cartagena N, Donnamc, López LOE. 2021. Potential use of cover crops for soil and water conservation, nutrient management, and climate change adaptation across the tropics. Advances in Agronomy, Academic Press 165, 175-247.

FAO. 2016. Mainstreaming ecosystem services and biodiversity into agricultural production and management in East Africa. Rome, Italy.

Farina WM, Balbuena MS, Herbert LT, Mengoni GC, Vázquez DE. 2019. Effects of the Herbicide Glyphosate on Honey Bee Sensory and Cognitive Abilities: Individual Impairments with Implications for the Hive. Insects 10(10), 354.

Fikadu Z. 2020. Pesticides use, practice and its effect on honeybee in Ethiopia: a review. International Journal of Tropical Insect Science 40, 473-481

Folke C, Biggs R, Norström AV, Reyers B, Rockström J. 2016. Social-ecological resilience and biosphere-based sustainability science. Ecology and Society 21(3), 41.

Gachene CKK, Wortmann CS. 2004. Green Manure/Cover Crop Technology in Eastern and Central Uganda: Development and Dissemination. In: Eilitta M, Mureithi JG, Derpsh R. (eds). Green Manure/Cover Crop Systems of Smallholder Farmers. Experiences from Tropical and Subtropical Regions. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Netherlands pp. 219-236.

Gao Y, Dang X, Yu Y, Li Y, Liu Y, Wang J. 2016. Effects of tillage methods on soil carbon and wind erosion. Land Degradation & Development 27, 583-591.

Giovannini L, Palla M, Agnolucci M, Avio L, Sbrana C, Turrini A, Giovannetti M. 2020. Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi and Associated Microbiota as Plant Biostimulants: Research Strategies for the Selection of the Best Performing Inocula. Agronomy 10(1), 106.

Gruver JB, Weil R. 2007. Farmer perceptions of soil quality and their relationship to management-sensitive soil parameters. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems 22, 271-281.

Hallama M, Pekrun C, Lambers H, Kandeler E. 2019. Hidden miners – the roles of cover crops and soil microorganisms in phosphorus cycling through agro ecosystems. Plant Soil 434, 7-45.

Hatfield JL, Walthall CL. 2015. Soil biological fertility: Foundation for the next revolution in agriculture? Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis 46, 753-762.

Heap I. 2014. Global perspective of herbicide‐resistant weeds. Pest Management Science 70, 1306-1315.

Houba VJG, Temminghoff EJM, Gaikhorst GAV. 2000. Soil analysis procedures using 0.01 M calcium chloride as extraction reagent. Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis 31(2000), 31.

Imbach P, Fung M, Emily HL, Navarro-Racines C, Roubik D, Ricketts T, Harvey C, Donatti C, Laderach P, Locatelli B, Roehrdanz P. 2017. Coupling of pollination services and coffee suitability under climate change. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 114, 201617940.

Jannoyer M, Bellec LF, Lavigne C, Achard R, Malézieux E. 2011. Choosing cover crops to enhance ecological services in orchards: A multiple criteria and systemic approach applied to tropical areas. Procedia Environmental Sciences 9, 104-112.

Kabubo-Mariara J, Mulwa R. 2019. Adaptation to climate change and climate variability and its implications for household food security in Kenya. Food Security 11, 1289-1304.

Kaspar T, Singer J. 2011. The use of cover crops to manage soil. In: J.L. Hatfield and T.J. Sauer, editors, Soil Management: Building a Stable Base for Agriculture. American Society of Agronomy and Soil Science Society of America, Madison, WI pp. 321-337.

Kath J, Vivekananda MB, Shahbaz M, Craparo A, Porcel M. 2021. Temperature and rainfall impacts on robusta coffee bean characteristics, Climate Risk Management, V 32, 100281,

Kaye PJ, Quemada M. 2017. Using cover crops to mitigate and adapt to climate change. A review. Agronomy for Sustainable Development, Springer Verlag/EDP Sciences/INRA 37(1), pp. 4. DOI: 10.1007/s13593-016-0410-x.

Kihara J, Bolo P, Kinyua M, Nyawira SS, Sommer R. 2020. Soil health and ecosystem services: Lessons from sub-Sahara Africa (SSA), Geoderma 370, 114342.

Kinama JM, Stigter CJ, Ong CK, Ng’ang’a JK, Gichuki FN. 2005. Evaporation from soils below sparse crops in contour hedgerow agroforestry in semi-arid Kenya. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 130, 149-162.

Klein A, Steffan-Dewenter I, Tscharntke T. 2003. Bee Pollination and Fruit Set of Coffea arabica and C. canephora (Rubiaceae). American Journal of Botany 90(1), 153-157.

Kremen C, Miles A. 2012. Ecosystem services in biologically diversified versus conventional farming systems: benefits, externalities, and trade-offs Ecology and Society 17(4), 40.

Krstić Đ, Vujić S, Jaćimović G, D’Ottavio P, Radanović Z, Erić P, Ćupina B. 2018. The Effect of Cover Crops on Soil Water Balance in Rain-Fed Conditions. Atmosphere 9(12), 492.

Lawley YE, Weil RR, Teasdale JR. 2011. Forage radish cover crop suppresses winter annual weeds in fall and before corn planting. Agronomy journal 103, 137-144.

Lu C, Tian H. 2017. Global nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer use for agriculture production in the past half century: shifted hot spots and nutrient imbalance. Earth System Science Data 9, 181-192.

Malone RD. Jaynes T, Kaspar K, Thorp EK, L Ma D, James J, Singer XM, Searchinger T. 2014. Cover crops in the upper midwestern United States: Simulated effect on nitrate leaching with artificial drainage. Journal of soil and water Conservation 69, 292-305.

Martins S, Sanglard M, Morais L, Menezes-Silva P, Mauri RA, Rodrigo V, Camilo CA, DaMatta F. 2019. How do coffee trees deal with severe natural droughts? An analysis of hydraulic, diffusive and biochemical components at the leaf level. Trees 33, DOI: 10.1007/s00468-019-01889-4.

McKenna TP, Koziol L, Bever JD, Crews TE, Sikes BA. 2020. Abiotic and biotic context dependency of perennial crop yield. PLOS ONE 15(6), e0234546.

Meuwissen MPM, Feindt PH, Spiegel A, Termeer CJA, Mathijs E, deMey Y, Finger R, Balmann A, Wauters E, Urquhart J, Vigani M, Zawalińska K, Herrera H, Nicholas-Davies, Midega CAO, Wasonga CJ, Hooper AM, Pickett JA, Khan ZR. 2017. Drought-tolerant Desmodium species effectively suppress parasitic striga weed and improve cereal grain yields in western Kenya, Crop Protection 98, 94-101,

Motta-Erick VS, Raymann K, Moran NA. 2018. Glyphosate perturbs the gut microbiota of honey bees. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 115(41), 10305-10310; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.

Motta-Erick VS, Moran NA. 2020. Impact of Glyphosate on the Honey Bee Gut Microbiota: Effects of Intensity, Duration, and Timing of Exposure. M Systems 5(4), e00268-20;

Mus F, Crook MB, Garcia K, Garcia-Costas A, Geddes BA, Kouri ED, Paramasivan P, Ryu MH, Oldroyd G, Poole PS, Udvardi MK, Voigt CA, Ané JM, Peters JW. 2016. Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation and the Challenges to Its Extension to Nonlegumes. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 82(13), 3698-3710.

Nascente AS, Stone LF, Crusciol CA. 2015. Soil chemical properties affected by cover crops under no-tillage system. Revista Ceres 62(4), 401-409.

Novais SMA, Nunes CA, Santos NB, D`Amico AR, Fernandes GW. 2016. Effects of a Possible Pollinator Crisis on Food Crop Production in Brazil. PLOS ONE 11(11), e0167292.

Odhiambo J, Norton U, Ashilenje D, Omondi E, Norton J. 2015. Weed Dynamics during Transition to Conservation Agriculture in Western Kenya Maize Production. PLoS ONE. DOI: 10. 10.1371/journal.pone.0133976.

Oerke EC. 2006. Crop losses to pests. The Journal of Agricultural Science 144, 31-43.

Oliveira RAD, Comin JJ, Tiecher T, Piccin R, Somavilla LM, Loss A, Lourenzi CR, Kürtz C, Brunetto G. 2017. Release of Phosphorus Forms from Cover Crop Residues in Agroecological No-Till Onion Production. Revista Brasileira de Ciência do Solo DOI: 10.1590/18069657rbcs20160272

Ovalle-Rivera O, Läderach P, Bunn C, Obersteiner M, Schroth G. 2015. Projected Shifts in Coffea arabica Suitability among Major Global Producing Regions Due to Climate Change. PLoS ONE 10(4), e0124155.

Pereira L. 2017. Climate Change Impacts on Agriculture across Africa. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Environmental Science.

Poeplau C, Don A. 2015. Carbon sequestration in agricultural soils via cultivation of cover crops–A meta-analysis. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 200, 33-41.

Potts SG, Imperatriz-Fonseca V, Ngo HT. 2016. Safeguarding pollinators and their values to human well-being. Nature 540, 220-229.

Rahn E, Laderach P, Baca M, Cressy C, Schroth G, Malin D, van-Rikxoort H, Shriver J. 2014. Climate change adaptation, mitigation and livelihood benefits in coffee production: where are the synergies? Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change. Springer Netherlands Vol 19(8), p. 1119-113719.

Ray DK, Gerber JS, MacDonald GK, West PC. 2015. Climate variation explains a third of global crop yield variability. Nature Communications 6. DOI: 10.1038/ncomms6989.

Robyn A, Chase C, Swisher M, Mengistu T, Jeune W. 2018. Potential Cover Crop Options for Nematode and Weed Suppression in Haiti. Proceedings of the Florida State Horticultural Society 131, 132-137.

Smith DR, Harmel RD, Williams M, Haney RL, King KW. 2016. Managing Acute Phosphorus Loss with Fertilizer Source and Placement: Proof of Concept. Agricultural & Environmental Letters. DOI: 10.2134/ael2015.12.0015.

Sobota DJ, Compton JE, mcCrackinm L, Singh S. 2015. Cost of reactive nitrogen release from human activities to the environment in the United States. Environmental Research Letters 10.1088.

Tahatmm, Alananbeh KM, Yahia AO, Leskovar DI. 2020. Soil Health and Sustainable Agriculture Sustainability 2020 12, 4859.

Thierfelder C, Wall PC. 2009. Effects of conservation agriculture techniques on infiltration and soil water content in Zambia and Zimbabwe. Soil & Tillage Research 105, 217-227.

Treadwell D, Klassen W, Alligood M. 2008. Annual cover crops in Florida vegetable systems Part I. Objectives: Why grow cover crops. HS387. Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida.

Tully KL, mc Askill C. 2020. Promoting soil health in organically managed systems: A review. Organic Agriculture 10, 339-358.

Va Âzquez DE, Ilina N, Pagano EA, Zavala JA, Farina WM. 2018. Glyphosate affects the larval development of honey bees depending on the susceptibility of colonies. PLoS ONE 13(10), e0205074.

Vázquez-Boucard C, Anguiano-Vega G, Mercier L, Rojas EC. 2014. Pesticide residues, heavy metals, and DNA damage in sentinel oysters Crassostrea gigas from Sinaloa and Sonora, Mexico. Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part A 77, 169-176.

Venancio LP, Filgueiras R, Mantovani EC. 2020. Impact of drought associated with high temperatures on Coffea canephora plantations: a case study in Espírito Santo State, Brazil. Scientific Reports 10, 19719 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038 /s41598-020-76713-y

Vukicevich E, Lowery T, Bowen P, Úrbez-Torres JR, Hart M. 2016. Cover crops to increase soil microbial diversity and mitigate decline in perennial agriculture. A review. Agronomy for Sustainable Development 36(3), 48.

Wagner S, Jassogne L, Price E, Jones M, Preziosi R. 2021. Impact of Climate Change on the Production of Coffea arabica at Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania. Agriculture 11(1), 53.

Wilkes TI, Warner DJ, Davieskg, Edmonds-Brown V. 2020. Tillage, Glyphosate and Beneficial Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi: Optimising Crop Management for Plant–Fungal Symbiosis. Agriculture 10(11), 520.

Zaller J, Heigl F, Ruess L, Grabmaier A. 2014. Glyphosate herbicide affects belowground interactions between earthworms and symbiotic mycorrhizal fungi in a model ecosystem. Scientific Reports 4, 5634.