Agroecological practices are emerging as efficient alternatives to address the challenge of sustainable agriculture. This study aims to examine whether plant residue amendments from stems and leaves (SL) of Piliostigma reticulatum enriched with nitrogen (N) sources improve nutrient cycling in Sahelian cropping systems. The experimental design was organized into four replicates with six treatments including or not additional N sources. The results showed that the activity of termites and ants was 13 and 3 times higher in the SL amended soils than in non-amended soils, respectively. SL amendments and N enrichments had no effect on soil basal respiration, indicating N limitation of microbial activity. The N enrichment was not efficient to alleviate microbial catabolic limitations.
Overall, the SL amendments triggered the soil macrofaunal activity, increased the NH4-N availability, and improved crop performance.

Agroecology Biogenic structures C/N ratio Nitrogen availability Organic carbon