The input of organic matter to the soil by legumes in alley cropping systems may be an alternative for a sustainable soil use in the humid tropics. The objective of this study was to compare the input of oxidizable organic matter in a combination of residues from different legumes in alley cropping systems on an Ultisol. Two legume species were evaluated: leucena (Leucaena leucocephala) and pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan), which have high-quality residues, and Philippine pigeonwings (Clitoria fairchildiana) and acacia (Acacia mangium), with low-quality residues. The residues were combined in the following treatments: Philippine pigeonwings + pigeon pea; leucena + pigeon pea; acacia + pigeon pea; Philippine pigeonwings + leucena; leucena + acacia; an area without legumes was used as control. Soil samples were taken from the layers 0-5 and 5-10 cm in the crop inter-row. Total organic carbon (TOC) was quantified and divided into four fractions (F1, F2, F3 and F4) with decreasing oxidation degrees. In the areas with Philippine pigeonwings/leucena, acacia/leucena and acacia/pigeon pea the TOC content was higher at the depth of 0-5 cm. In the area without legumes the TOC content was the lowest at the depth of 5-10 cm. The highest TOC proportion was observed in the F1+F2 fractions, and the carbon contents for these fractions were lower in the area without legumes. In the acacia/pigeon pea treatment the C content was higher in the F1 fraction at both depths, while the TOC proportions were greater in the treatment leucaena/pigeon pea in the fractions F3 + F4. The results indicate that the combination of high and low quality residues (acacia/pigeon pea) favors the increase of easily decomposable organic matter, while the use of high-quality residues resulted in higher carbon proportions in the more resistant fractions (F3 + F4).
labile carbon; legumes; residue quality; agrosystem
