The Role of Woody Plant Functional Traits for Sustainable Soil Management in the Agroforestry System of Ethiopia

Abstract

A woody plant functional trait that directly affects its fitness and environment is decisive to ensure the success of an Agroforestry practice. Hence, recognizing the woody plant functional traits is very important to boost and sustain the productivity of the system when different plants are sharing common resources, like in Agroforestry system. Therefore, the objective of this paper was to understand how woody plant functional traits contribute to sustainable soil management in Agroforestry system and to give the way forward in the case of Ethiopia. The contribution of woody plant species in improving soil fertility and controlling soil erosion is attributed by litter accumulation rate and the season, decomposability and nutrient content of the litter, root physical and chemical trait, and spread canopy structure functional trait. However, spread canopy structure functional trait is used in coffee based Agroforestry system, while with management in Parkland Agro forestry System. Woody species of Agroforestry system added a significant amount of soil TN, OC, Av.P, K, Na, Ca, and Mg nutrients to the soil. Woody plant species of Agroforestry system and their functional traits are very important to ensure sustainable soil management. Thus, further investigation of the woody plant functional traits especially the compatibility of trees with cops is needed to fully utilize the potential of woody species for sustainable soil management practice.