Abstract:
n Africa, banana is mainly produced by smallscale farmers under complex production systems for
both home consumption and income generation. Low soil fertility continually constraints its
production and farmers are embarking on emerging technologies such as improved fallow, cover
crops, integrated soil fertility management, agroforestry with fast growing tree species to address
this challenge. This study aims at assessing the sustainability of grevillea-banana agroforestry
systems by investigating the variability in their soil physico-chemical properties. Soil samples
were collected in banana sole stands, Grevillea robusta sole stands and grevillea-banana intercrops
in three agro-ecological zones during the dry and rainy seasons. Soil physico-chemical properties
significantly differed among agroecological zones, cropping systems and between seasons. Soil
moisture, total organic carbon (TOC), P, N, Mg decreased from the highland to the lowland zone,
through the midland zone whereas soil pH, K and Ca showed the opposite trend. Soil bulk density,
moisture, TOC, NH4
+-N, K and Mg were significantly higher in the dry season compared to the
rainy season but total N was higher in the rainy season. Intercropping banana with grevillea trees
significantly decreased soil bulk density, TOC, K, Mg, Ca and P. Soils under banana sole stands
accumulated higher potassium, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus with a higher soil bulk density
and pH compared to grevillea-banana intercrops and grevillea sole stands. This suggests that
intercropping banana and grevillea trees increases the competition for these nutrients and re-
quires careful attention for the optimization of their interactive benefits.
