Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31254827›Full record

ArticleThe Science of the total environment2019

Smart forage selection could significantly improve soil health in the tropics.

C A Horrocks, J Arango, A Arevalo, J Nuñez, J A Cardoso, J A J Dungait

Open access · hybridAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The Science of the total environment, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
3.2field-weighted citation impact, top 9% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 32 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Non-nativeFrontiers in microbiology · 2023
    Article
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.

C A HorrocksDepartment of Sustainable Soil and Grassland Systems, Rothamsted Research, North Wyke, Okehampton, Devon EX20 2SB, UK. Electronic address: claire.horrocks@rothamsted.ac.uk.
J ArangoInternational Center for Tropical agriculture (CIAT), Km 17, Recta Cali-Palmira, CP 763537, Apartado Aéreo 6713, Cali, Colombia.
A ArevaloInternational Center for Tropical agriculture (CIAT), Km 17, Recta Cali-Palmira, CP 763537, Apartado Aéreo 6713, Cali, Colombia.
J NuñezInternational Center for Tropical agriculture (CIAT), Km 17, Recta Cali-Palmira, CP 763537, Apartado Aéreo 6713, Cali, Colombia.
J A CardosoInternational Center for Tropical agriculture (CIAT), Km 17, Recta Cali-Palmira, CP 763537, Apartado Aéreo 6713, Cali, Colombia.
J A J DungaitDepartment of Sustainable Soil and Grassland Systems, Rothamsted Research, North Wyke, Okehampton, Devon EX20 2SB, UK.
International Center for Tropical Agriculture · CORothamsted Research · GB

Funding

Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council BBS/E/C/000I0320
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The use of tropical grasslands to graze livestock is of high economic importance. Declining grassland soil health leads to reduced sustainability of livestock systems. There are high levels of phenotypic diversity amongst tropical forage grasses. We hypothesise that this variation could lead to significant differences in soil health and that selection of forage cultivars to improve soil health could improve the sustainability of livestock production. We measured and compared key soil health metrics (soil organic carbon (SOC) concentration and sugar / alkane composition, aggregate stability, friability, litter decomposition rates, microbial community composition) under four tropical forage varieties (Brachiaria hybrid cv Mulato (BhMulato), B. humidicola cv Tully (CIAT679; Bh679), B. humidicola cv CIAT16888 (Bh16888), and Panicum maximum CIAT 6962 (Pmax)) and a bare soil control, there was a significant difference in soil aggregate stability, friability and SOC concentration between the forage varieties with soil under Bh679 and Bh16888 tending to have greater aggregate stability, friability and SOC concentrations compared to the soil under BhMulato and Pmax. We identified significant spatial variation in soils under BhMulato and Pmax due to their tussock forming growth habit; when compared to soil from adjacent to the tussocks, soil from the gaps between tussocks had significantly reduced aggregate stability under both species, significantly reduced friability under Pmax and significantly reduced SOC under BhMulato. We found limited impact of forage variety on soil microbial community composition, litter decomposition rates or soil alkane and sugar concentrations.

Indexed as

HerbivorySoil MicrobiologyAnimalsLivestockMicrobiotaPoaceaeSoilTropical ClimateSoil

Identifiers

PMID31254827
PMCPMC6708042
OpenAlexW2950450901

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.