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Early effects of slash-and-burn cultivation on soil physicochemical properties of small-scale farms in the Tapajós region, Brazilian Amazon

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 January 2014

A. BÉLIVEAU ,
R. DAVIDSON ,
M. LUCOTTE ,
L. OTÁVIO DO CANTO LOPES ,
S. PAQUET  and
C. VASSEUR
A. BÉLIVEAU*
Affiliation:
Institut des sciences de l'environnement, Université du Québec à Montréal, GEOTOP-UQAM, CP 8888, Succ. Centre-Ville, Montréal, Qc H3C 3P8, Canada Institut des sciences de l'environnement, UQAM, CP 8888, Succ. Centre-Ville, Montréal, Qc H3C 3P8, Canada
R. DAVIDSON
Affiliation:
Institut des sciences de l'environnement, UQAM, CP 8888, Succ. Centre-Ville, Montréal, Qc H3C 3P8, Canada Biodôme de Montréal, 4777 Pierre-De Coubertin, Montréal, Qc H1V 1B3, Canada
M. LUCOTTE
Affiliation:
Institut des sciences de l'environnement, Université du Québec à Montréal, GEOTOP-UQAM, CP 8888, Succ. Centre-Ville, Montréal, Qc H3C 3P8, Canada Institut des sciences de l'environnement, UQAM, CP 8888, Succ. Centre-Ville, Montréal, Qc H3C 3P8, Canada
L. OTÁVIO DO CANTO LOPES
Affiliation:
Núcleo de Meio Ambiente da Universidade Federal do Pará (NUMA/UFPA), Rua Augusto Corrêa 01, Guamá, CEP 66075-110, Belém, PA, Brasil
S. PAQUET
Affiliation:
Institut des sciences de l'environnement, Université du Québec à Montréal, GEOTOP-UQAM, CP 8888, Succ. Centre-Ville, Montréal, Qc H3C 3P8, Canada
C. VASSEUR
Affiliation:
Biodôme de Montréal, 4777 Pierre-De Coubertin, Montréal, Qc H1V 1B3, Canada
*
*To whom all correspondence should be addressed. Email: beliveau.annie@gmail.com
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Summary

Increasing human occupation of the Brazilian Amazon has led to the intensification of deforestation over the last 50 years. The present study is aimed at analysing the impacts of the first year of slash-and-burn cultivation on soil physicochemical properties. Sampling was done in 26 small-scale farms of the Tapajós River basin. In August 2004, soil samples were collected from primary forest plots planned for slash-and-burn cultivation. In September 2005, 1 year after the initial burning and the beginning of cultivation, the same sites were re-sampled. The results indicated that soil fertility after burning was relatively moderate, as the increase of base cations was not particularly marked. Moreover, although an increase of some nutrients (such as exchangeable phosphorus) was observed at soil surface, total carbon and nitrogen (N) pools did not change significantly. Nutrient leaching was also detected through the accumulation of both forms of available nitrogen (NO3 and NH4) as well as potassium in subsoil horizons. In addition, signs of erosion were seen, as a significant increase surface density occurred, coupled with up to 25% fine particle loss at the surface. The present study draws attention to the early impacts of slash-and-burn agriculture on soil properties within a year of cultivation. Furthermore, its regional dimension highlights undisturbed soils natural variability as well as differentiated responses to deforestation according to soil texture.

Type
Crops and Soils Research Papers
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 153 , Issue 2 , March 2015 , pp. 205 - 221
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2014 

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