Differential impacts of organic and chemical fertilization on soil organic carbon pools and stability, and soil quality in cacao agroforestry
Fertilization impacts soil organic carbon (SOC) and its stability, key factors for soil quality and climate change mitigation. This study assessed the long-term effects of chemical (CON) and organic (ORG) fertilizations on oxidizable SOC pools, SOC stability, and soil quality in cacao soils. Soils w...
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Elsevier
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Soil & Environmental Health |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949919425000202 |
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| author | Joseph Osafo Eduah Alfred Arthur Ishmael Amoako-Attah Elvis Frimpong Manso Amos Kojo Quaye Jerome Agbesi Dogbatse Francis Kwame Padi |
| author_facet | Joseph Osafo Eduah Alfred Arthur Ishmael Amoako-Attah Elvis Frimpong Manso Amos Kojo Quaye Jerome Agbesi Dogbatse Francis Kwame Padi |
| author_sort | Joseph Osafo Eduah |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Fertilization impacts soil organic carbon (SOC) and its stability, key factors for soil quality and climate change mitigation. This study assessed the long-term effects of chemical (CON) and organic (ORG) fertilizations on oxidizable SOC pools, SOC stability, and soil quality in cacao soils. Soils were sampled from 20 farms under ORG and CON at 0–15 cm and 15–30 cm depths, with an uncultivated field as a reference. SOC pools and their derived indices were analyzed, with soil quality being evaluated using a minimum dataset and principal component analysis. The SOC stock was significantly higher in ORG (60.2–69.8 Mg C ha−1) than in CON (42.8–49.6 Mg C ha−1). The SOC stock in ORG was largely in the active pool (54–68 %), while it was predominantly in the passive pool (73–74 %) in CON. The SOC stock and active SOC pool decreased with soil depth while the passive pool increased with soil depth. Unlike the recalcitrant index, the lability index was high in ORG (1.41–1.82) and low in CON (1.01–1.10). Consistent with the carbon management index, the soil quality index, based on SOC, microbial biomass C, pH, dehydrogenase activity, and bulk density, was higher in ORG (0.753–0.821) than that in CON (0.169–0.235), reflecting soil degradation in CON. Our study revealed that, while CON reduced SOC stock, it improved SOC stability, highlighting a trade-off between SOC quantity and resistance to decomposition. In contrast, ORG enhanced active SOC build-up and soil quality but was less effective in promoting long-term carbon sequestration. These findings highlight fertilization practices that enhance SOC lability and soil quality or improve SOC stability, providing appropriate strategies for the sustainable management of cacao agroecosystems. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-641b330588a947e7bfe6a79eda74be6f |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2949-9194 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
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| series | Soil & Environmental Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-641b330588a947e7bfe6a79eda74be6f2025-08-20T03:50:49ZengElsevierSoil & Environmental Health2949-91942025-07-013310014710.1016/j.seh.2025.100147Differential impacts of organic and chemical fertilization on soil organic carbon pools and stability, and soil quality in cacao agroforestryJoseph Osafo Eduah0Alfred Arthur1Ishmael Amoako-Attah2Elvis Frimpong Manso3Amos Kojo Quaye4Jerome Agbesi Dogbatse5Francis Kwame Padi6Soil Science Division, Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG), P. O. Box 8, New Tafo-Akim, Ghana; Corresponding author.Soil Science Division, Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG), P. O. Box 8, New Tafo-Akim, GhanaPathology Division, Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG), P. O. Box 8, New Tafo-Akim, GhanaSoil Science Division, Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG), P. O. Box 8, New Tafo-Akim, GhanaSoil Science Division, Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG), P. O. Box 8, New Tafo-Akim, GhanaSoil Science Division, Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG), P. O. Box 8, New Tafo-Akim, GhanaPlant Breeding Division, Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG), P. O. Box 8, New Tafo-Akim, GhanaFertilization impacts soil organic carbon (SOC) and its stability, key factors for soil quality and climate change mitigation. This study assessed the long-term effects of chemical (CON) and organic (ORG) fertilizations on oxidizable SOC pools, SOC stability, and soil quality in cacao soils. Soils were sampled from 20 farms under ORG and CON at 0–15 cm and 15–30 cm depths, with an uncultivated field as a reference. SOC pools and their derived indices were analyzed, with soil quality being evaluated using a minimum dataset and principal component analysis. The SOC stock was significantly higher in ORG (60.2–69.8 Mg C ha−1) than in CON (42.8–49.6 Mg C ha−1). The SOC stock in ORG was largely in the active pool (54–68 %), while it was predominantly in the passive pool (73–74 %) in CON. The SOC stock and active SOC pool decreased with soil depth while the passive pool increased with soil depth. Unlike the recalcitrant index, the lability index was high in ORG (1.41–1.82) and low in CON (1.01–1.10). Consistent with the carbon management index, the soil quality index, based on SOC, microbial biomass C, pH, dehydrogenase activity, and bulk density, was higher in ORG (0.753–0.821) than that in CON (0.169–0.235), reflecting soil degradation in CON. Our study revealed that, while CON reduced SOC stock, it improved SOC stability, highlighting a trade-off between SOC quantity and resistance to decomposition. In contrast, ORG enhanced active SOC build-up and soil quality but was less effective in promoting long-term carbon sequestration. These findings highlight fertilization practices that enhance SOC lability and soil quality or improve SOC stability, providing appropriate strategies for the sustainable management of cacao agroecosystems.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949919425000202Lability indexCacao farmsRecalcitrant indexSoil degradationSoil quality indexCarbon sequestration |
| spellingShingle | Joseph Osafo Eduah Alfred Arthur Ishmael Amoako-Attah Elvis Frimpong Manso Amos Kojo Quaye Jerome Agbesi Dogbatse Francis Kwame Padi Differential impacts of organic and chemical fertilization on soil organic carbon pools and stability, and soil quality in cacao agroforestry Soil & Environmental Health Lability index Cacao farms Recalcitrant index Soil degradation Soil quality index Carbon sequestration |
| title | Differential impacts of organic and chemical fertilization on soil organic carbon pools and stability, and soil quality in cacao agroforestry |
| title_full | Differential impacts of organic and chemical fertilization on soil organic carbon pools and stability, and soil quality in cacao agroforestry |
| title_fullStr | Differential impacts of organic and chemical fertilization on soil organic carbon pools and stability, and soil quality in cacao agroforestry |
| title_full_unstemmed | Differential impacts of organic and chemical fertilization on soil organic carbon pools and stability, and soil quality in cacao agroforestry |
| title_short | Differential impacts of organic and chemical fertilization on soil organic carbon pools and stability, and soil quality in cacao agroforestry |
| title_sort | differential impacts of organic and chemical fertilization on soil organic carbon pools and stability and soil quality in cacao agroforestry |
| topic | Lability index Cacao farms Recalcitrant index Soil degradation Soil quality index Carbon sequestration |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949919425000202 |
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