Soil nutrient availability and CO2 production in agroforestry systems after the addition of Erythrina poeppigiana pruning residues and native microbial inocula

To investigate the effects of microbial inocula and Erythrina poeppigiana pruning residues on soil K, NO 3− , and NH 4+ concentrations, a greenhouse trial, a field experiment in an organic farm, and three in vitro tests were conducted. Under controlled conditions, weak, temporary effects (10 %) on maize seedling growth were observed on poor soils (taken from the 10–20 cm layer) in the first 2 weeks after application. Positive effects of pruning residue applications on soil K levels (0.09 cmol kg −1 , on average) were detected in both the field and greenhouse study. However, significant effects due to the addition of microbial inocula on soil K concentrations were not detected in the field; thus, microbial applications were ineffective at enhancing nutrient availability under field conditions. In contrast, in the in vitro experiments, CO 2 production was 31 % greater than that of untreated soil on the 8th and 15th days of incubation. These results highlight the importance of adding tree pruning residues to support coffee-plant nutrition. Experimental outcome data could be valuable for further studies focused on microbial application dosage and timing.