Ecological intensification of banana cropping systems

- Accompanying plants and agro-ecological

services

RTB Workshop - Abidjan

Marc Dorel - Charles Meynard - Raphaël Achard CIRAD-UR 26

Adapted from M. Griffon 2013

Natural Ecosystems

Intensive conventional

systems high inputs

Ecologically intensified

systems

Diversification

Simplification

Technical Management

Natural dynamics

Traditional systems

low inputs

Ecological intensification

Banana

Accompanying plants (food crop, cover crop, weed)

Accompanying plants

Services

Régulation - Support

- Pests control - Soil fertility improvement

Banana

Service Cash-crop production

Technical system - Cultural practices - arrangement of species in space and time

Agro-system representation

Environment (soil – climate)

Expected agro-ecological services . Pest control (nematode, weevil borer,….) . Weed control . Soil fertility improvement Soil structure Nutrients bio-availability . Effect on production Low competitiveness with banana for resources uptake

Accompanying plants can provide agro-ecological services => “Service plants”

1. Installation of cover-crop competing with

weeds during fallow period

H2O, N, K, Ca, Mg,..

Use of service plants for weed control

Competition for light

Competition for soil resources

Highly competitive plants . Brachiaria Rapid covering High root density and biomass . Pueraria, Neonotonia, Mucuna Rapid covering climbing habit These plants also compete with banana => Use only during fallow period

2. Installation of cover-crop under banana canopy

. Cover-crop competing with weeds but not with banana Low size or creeping plant Low root density

Use of service plants for weed control

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

60 à 70 cm

50 à 60 cm

40 à 50 cm

30 à 40 cm

20 à 30 cm

10 à 20 cm

0 à 10 cm

nombre d'impact/dm2

Banana / Paspalum

Banane

Paspalum

0 5 10

60 à 70 cm

50 à 60 cm

40 à 50 cm

30 à 40 cm

20 à 30 cm

10 à 20 cm

0 à 10 cm

nombre d'impacts/dm2

Banana / Arachis

Banane

Arachis

Root density

Banana/cover-crop competition

Bunch fruits

number

Banana/ Arachis 189 A

Banana /Bare soil 172 AB

Banana/Paspalum 143 B

0,00

10,00

20,00

30,00

40,00

50,00

60,00

70,00

80,00

90,00

100,00

23/12/11 11/02/12 01/04/12 21/05/12 10/07/12 29/08/12 18/10/12 07/12/12

Pse

ud

o-s

tem

gir

th (

cm)

Banane growth (1st cycle)

Banana/Arachis

Banane/bare soil

Banana/Paspalum

30

35

40

45

50

55

60

65

70

16/01/12 14/02/12 14/03/12 17/04/12 16/05/12 12/06/12

Banana nitrogen nutrition indicator (SPAD chlorophyll-meter)

1st cycle

Banana/Arachis Banana /bare soil Banana/Paspalum

. Shade tolerance => Plants with optimal growth at low light intensity

Banana on Impatiens cover

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

0 10 20 30 40 50

0% Ombrage

60%Ombarge

90% Ombrage

Biomasse fraiche (g/plte)

Jours après

reprise

a)

60 % shading = under banana canopy light intensity

Effect of shading on Impatiens growth

Banana on Arachis Pintoï cover

Shade tolerance => Adaptability to low light intensity

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

0 10 20 30 40

0% d'ombrage

60% d'ombrage

90% d'ombrage

Jours après

reprise

Biomasse fraiche/plante

(g)

a)

Effect of shading on Arachis Pintoï growth

60 % shading = under banana canopy light intensity

Banana on Arachis Pintoï- Impatiens mixed cover

1. Sanitation during fallow period

Use of service plants for plant-parasitic nematodes regulation

Installation of cover-crop non-host of banana nematodes

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Multiplication rate of nematodes (Radopholus Similis) by cover-crops

Crotalaria cover during fallow period

Nematode-free plants on nematode-free soil

2. Planting with nematode-free material

3. Favoring nematodes predation

Comparison of free-living soil nematodes communities in : • Bare soil • Soil under cover-crops

Djigal et al. 2011

Cover-crops increase predators populations

Nb. / 100g of soil

Carnivores & omnivores

BS SC PN NW PP SG

0

100

200

300

400

500

BS: Bare Soil SC: Spontaneous Cover PN: Paspalum N. NW: Neonotonia W. PP: Pueraria P. SG: Stylosanthes G.

Effect of cover-crops on weevil-borer control

CIN

HP

/ G

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orm

ack

Cosmopolites sordidus

In soil litter general predators contribute to weevil borer control:

• Ants • Earwigs…

Camponotus E. caraibea Lycosidae

Cover-crops increase predators abundance

Mollot et al. 2012

Site 1 Site 2

Bare soil

B. decumbens + C. dactylon cover

Captures of ants

Solenopsis geminata

5 times more ants in plots with cover-crops

Predators increase the predation rate of weevil borer eggs

Site 1 Site 2

Predation rate by ants Predation rate of weevil borer eggs by ants

2 to 7 times more predation in plots with cover-crops

Bare Soil

B. decumbens + C. dactylon cover

Mollot et al. 2012

Crotalaria: . Atmospheric N2 fixation => Symbiosis with Rhizobium . Increase of P bioavailability Mycorrhiza

Root nodules

Use of service plants to improve nutrients recycling and bioavailability

Neonotonia Wigthii => cover-crop with deep root system

(tap root)

Banana Sub-horizontal root system

Use of service plant to improve nutrients recycling and bioavailability

C/N et mineral nitrogen release

Species C/N

Stylosanthes G. 16

Pueraria P. 18

Banana 66

Crotalaria 29

Cajanus 23

Neonotonia W. 14

Brachiaria 90

Paspalum N. 33

Brachiaria root system

Earthworms, ants, Termites

Biological prosity

1. Action of roots

2. Indirect action : favoring macro-fauna (earthworms, ants, termites,…) involved in soil structure building

Use of service plants for soil structure improvement

. Biological soil structure => Tubular porosity (root path,… ) => Aggregates created by biological activity => Better stability than structure created by soil tillage

Dorel et al. 2010

2

2,2

2,4

2,6

2,8

3

3,2

3,4

0 2 4 6 8 10

Vo

id In

dic

e

Months after plantation

Soil porosity

No-Till under cover soil

Tilled soil bare soil

Installation of shade tolerant cover-crop

Banana plantation on the cover -crop

Crotalaria / Brachiaria

Arachis Pintoï

Banana / Arachis Pintoï

Fallow : 12 months Soil fertility improvement Sanitation (pest suppression)

Prototype of innovating cropping system

Thank you for your attention