Abstract
Associating shade trees to cocoa plantations supply many services to farmers, yet their contrasting impacts on soil fertility in relation to their traits remains little understood (Blaser et al., 2017). In 2017, 6 cocoa shading modalities of cocoa were studied across 8 farmers' plots (Bokito district, Cameroon): unshaded, shaded with Canarium schweinfurthii, Dacryoides edulis, Milicia excelsa, Ceiba pentandra and Albizia adianthifolia. For each shading modality, we analyzed the plant association community values of: litterfall; N and P resorption efficiency; litter C, macronutrients and tannins content; Van Soest fractions and litter pH. We measured soil C, N, NO3 -, NH4 +, Olsen P, pH, bioassay and cocoa yield. Shade tree – cocoa association increased total litterfall for all the species without impacting on cocoa yield. Further, litter N was higher with Albizia, while litter P and Ca were higher with Milicia and Ceiba and litter pH was lower with Canarium and Dacryodes. Soil properties were not impacted by Canarium and Dacryodes, while Albizia, Milicia and Ceiba increased soil inorganic N and P content and bioassays (Fig 1). Finally, soil pH and total C and N content increased under Milicia and Ceiba, leading to the highest increase in soil fertility. Multiple regression models suggested a critical role of litter Ca to improve soil fertility in such systems. Using shade trees like Milicia or Ceiba with high Ca cycling should thus be advised to farmers to improve their system.
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Claims 18
Claim · model-written summary
Each shade tree association increased total litterfall.
- Taxon
- cocoa
Theobroma cacaot0 - Treatment
- Shade tree – cocoa associatione0
- Outcome
- total litterfalle0
- Direction
- increasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“Shade tree – cocoa association increased total litterfall for all the species without impacting on cocoa yield.”
t0“cocoa”
Claim · model-written summary
Shade tree association did not impact cocoa yield.
- Taxon
- cocoa
Theobroma cacaot0 - Treatment
- Shade tree – cocoa associatione0
- Outcome
- cocoa yielde0
- Direction
- without impactinge0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“Shade tree – cocoa association increased total litterfall for all the species without impacting on cocoa yield.”
t0“cocoa”
Claim · model-written summary
Albizia shading had higher litter N.
- Taxon
- cocoa
Theobroma cacaot0 - Treatment
- Albiziae0
- Outcome
- litter Ne0
- Direction
- highere0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.


Verbatim
e0“Further, litter N was higher with Albizia, while litter P and Ca were higher with Milicia and Ceiba and litter pH was lower with Canarium and Dacryodes.”
t0“cocoa”
Claim · model-written summary
Milicia shading had higher litter P.
- Taxon
- cocoa
Theobroma cacaot0 - Treatment
- Miliciae0
- Outcome
- litter Pe0
- Direction
- highere0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“Further, litter N was higher with Albizia, while litter P and Ca were higher with Milicia and Ceiba and litter pH was lower with Canarium and Dacryodes.”
t0“cocoa”
Claim · model-written summary
Ceiba shading had higher litter P.
- Taxon
- cocoa
Theobroma cacaot0 - Treatment
- Ceibae0
- Outcome
- litter Pe0
- Direction
- highere0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.


Verbatim
e0“Further, litter N was higher with Albizia, while litter P and Ca were higher with Milicia and Ceiba and litter pH was lower with Canarium and Dacryodes.”
t0“cocoa”
Claim · model-written summary
Milicia shading had higher Ca.
- Taxon
- cocoa
Theobroma cacaot0 - Treatment
- Miliciae0
- Outcome
- Cae0
- Direction
- highere0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“Further, litter N was higher with Albizia, while litter P and Ca were higher with Milicia and Ceiba and litter pH was lower with Canarium and Dacryodes.”
t0“cocoa”
Claim · model-written summary
Ceiba shading had higher Ca.
- Taxon
- cocoa
Theobroma cacaot0 - Treatment
- Ceibae0
- Outcome
- Cae0
- Direction
- highere0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.


Verbatim
e0“Further, litter N was higher with Albizia, while litter P and Ca were higher with Milicia and Ceiba and litter pH was lower with Canarium and Dacryodes.”
t0“cocoa”
Claim · model-written summary
Canarium shading had lower litter pH.
- Taxon
- cocoa
Theobroma cacaot0 - Treatment
- Canariume0
- Interactor
- Canariume0other
- Outcome
- litter pHe0
- Direction
- lowere0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“Further, litter N was higher with Albizia, while litter P and Ca were higher with Milicia and Ceiba and litter pH was lower with Canarium and Dacryodes.”
t0“cocoa”
Claim · model-written summary
Dacryodes shading had lower litter pH.
- Taxon
- cocoa
Theobroma cacaot0 - Treatment
- Dacryodese0
- Outcome
- litter pHe0
- Direction
- lowere0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.


Verbatim
e0“Further, litter N was higher with Albizia, while litter P and Ca were higher with Milicia and Ceiba and litter pH was lower with Canarium and Dacryodes.”
t0“cocoa”
Claim · model-written summary
Canarium shade had no reported impact on soil properties.
- Taxon
- cocoa
Theobroma cacaot0 - Treatment
- Canariume0
- Interactor
- Canariume0other
- Outcome
- Soil propertiese0
- Direction
- not impactede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“Soil properties were not impacted by Canarium and Dacryodes, while Albizia, Milicia and Ceiba increased soil inorganic N and P content and bioassays (Fig 1).”
t0“cocoa”
Claim · model-written summary
Dacryodes shade had no reported impact on soil properties.
- Taxon
- cocoa
Theobroma cacaot0 - Treatment
- Dacryodese0
- Outcome
- Soil propertiese0
- Direction
- not impactede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.


Verbatim
e0“Soil properties were not impacted by Canarium and Dacryodes, while Albizia, Milicia and Ceiba increased soil inorganic N and P content and bioassays (Fig 1).”
t0“cocoa”
Claim · model-written summary
Albizia shade increased soil inorganic N and P content and bioassay results.
- Taxon
- cocoa
Theobroma cacaot0 - Treatment
- Albiziae0
- Outcome
- soil inorganic N and P content and bioassayse0
- Direction
- increasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.


Verbatim
e0“Soil properties were not impacted by Canarium and Dacryodes, while Albizia, Milicia and Ceiba increased soil inorganic N and P content and bioassays (Fig 1).”
t0“cocoa”
Claim · model-written summary
Milicia shade increased soil inorganic N and P content and bioassay results.
- Taxon
- cocoa
Theobroma cacaot0 - Treatment
- Miliciae0
- Outcome
- soil inorganic N and P content and bioassayse0
- Direction
- increasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“Soil properties were not impacted by Canarium and Dacryodes, while Albizia, Milicia and Ceiba increased soil inorganic N and P content and bioassays (Fig 1).”
t0“cocoa”
Claim · model-written summary
Ceiba shade increased soil inorganic N and P content and bioassay results.
- Taxon
- cocoa
Theobroma cacaot0 - Treatment
- Ceibae0
- Outcome
- soil inorganic N and P content and bioassayse0
- Direction
- increasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.


Verbatim
e0“Soil properties were not impacted by Canarium and Dacryodes, while Albizia, Milicia and Ceiba increased soil inorganic N and P content and bioassays (Fig 1).”
t0“cocoa”
Claim · model-written summary
Milicia shade increased soil pH and total C and N content and yielded the greatest soil fertility increase.
- Taxon
- cocoa
Theobroma cacaot0 - Treatment
- Miliciae0
- Outcome
- soil pH and total C and N contente0
- Direction
- increasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“Finally, soil pH and total C and N content increased under Milicia and Ceiba, leading to the highest increase in soil fertility.”
t0“cocoa”
Claim · model-written summary
Ceiba shade increased soil pH and total C and N content and yielded the greatest soil fertility increase.
- Taxon
- cocoa
Theobroma cacaot0 - Treatment
- Ceibae0
- Outcome
- soil pH and total C and N contente0
- Direction
- increasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.


Verbatim
e0“Finally, soil pH and total C and N content increased under Milicia and Ceiba, leading to the highest increase in soil fertility.”
t0“cocoa”
Claim · model-written summary
Regression models suggested litter Ca has a critical role in improving soil fertility.
- Taxon
- cocoa
Theobroma cacaot0 - Compound
- litter Cae0
- Outcome
- soil fertilitye0
- Qualifier
- critical rolee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“Multiple regression models suggested a critical role of litter Ca to improve soil fertility in such systems.”
t0“cocoa”
Claim · model-written summary
Farmers should use shade trees such as Milicia or Ceiba with high Ca cycling to improve their systems.
- Taxon
- cocoa
Theobroma cacaot0 - Outcome
- Using shade trees like Milicia or Ceiba with high Ca cyclinge0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e0“Using shade trees like Milicia or Ceiba with high Ca cycling should thus be advised to farmers to improve their system.”
t0“cocoa”
The same questions in other papers
shade · yield · Theobroma cacao (cocoa)Results differ
5 papers in the same direction as this paper · 10 in the opposite direction
- positive
- positive
- positive
12 papers more in this group
See all 16 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.