When it comes to production, one of the most, if not the most, limiting resources in ecosystems is nitrogen (N). Plants must have access to an N resource in order to synthesize the proteins essential to the functioning of their cells. Despite this need, plants do not have access to a large amount of nitrogen. The only three sources of nitrogen for plants are: 1. Nitrate (NO3-) and ammonium (NH4+) released by soil micro-organisms when they break down organic matter. Nematodes are crucial for this step because they need less N to maintain their metabolism than what it ingests by feeding on fungi and bacteria which are, on the other hand, very dense in N. So, they release N into their feces and this N is soluble, therefore, available for plants. This process is the recycling of N from dead organic matter to other living organisms, while knowing that conversion is not optimal and that there is always the loss of N. 2. Atmospheric nitrogen fixed by bacteria that live in symbiosis with plants (e.g.: Rhizobium sp. Which live in symbiosis with the root cells of plants that belong to the family Fabaceae). This process allows N to be added to the soil when any part of the plant reaches the soil and enters the decomposition cycle by soil organisms. This access to the amount of N they need to synthesize their proteins allows Fabaceae plants to grow rapidly. Also, Fabaceae are very often the only plants growing in numbers in the early stages of plant succession that lead to the establishment of the forest ecosystem because they allow the addition of N in the soil which allows other plants to settle. 3. Atmospheric nitrogen fixed by bacteria decomposing organic matter on the soil that would add NO3- to the soil. We can note that in order to access each of the three above mentioned nitrogen sources, the presence of organic matter in the soil is essential. Therefore, placing organic matter, especially that of Fabaceae, on the ground will be a key practice in La Evidencia, since we want to promote the cycling of resources and increase the frequency in order to obtain, naturally, more production, we know that we need to maximize the natural entry of N into our ecosystem. To this goal we will (i) plant a large number of Fabaceae plants on the farm site and (ii) provide habitats to support the growth of termite populations.
(i) Pergolas
By pruning and guiding techniques, trees of the family Fabaceae will take the form of pergolas.
[If you want to know more about the importance of Fabaceae to the ecosystem, click here] Pruning residues from the pergola trees will be regularly applied to the soil of the Mandala Gardens to ensure that a large layer of nitrogen-rich mulch is constantly covering the soil. Growing on these pergolas, several vines and climbing plants will be mixed. At La Evidencia we would like to cover the pergolas with several varieties of passion fruit, tomatoes and grapes. Also, kiwier, pepper lianas, malabar spinach, nastarium, chayote and jasmine are other examples of climbing plants that we are going to plant with the aim of obtaining a crop that is edible for humans as well as fodder for animals.
(ii) Termites
Las ventajas de las termitas son: 1. Algunas especies viven en simbiosis con bacterias fijadoras de nitrógeno en sus intestinos: en la naturaleza, estas especies se alimentan de materia orgánica muerta muy densa de carbono, como la madera, y confía en la simbiosis con las bacterias para satisfacer sus necesidades en N. La simbiosis es un intercambio mutualista por el cual las bacterias tienen acceso al C digerido por las termitas y las termitas tienen acceso al N fijado por las bacterias. Gracias a esta simbiosis, Las termitas desempeñan un papel muy importante en los ecosistemas tropicales y subtropicales al permitir la fijación de la N atmosférica y añadir esta N al ciclo de nutrientes accesible para la producción de todo el ecosistema. 2. A las aves y a los cerdos les encantan las termitas. En la India y en algunos países de África, es común que los agricultores críen termitas como fuente de alimento para sus aves de corral. Reunir materia orgánica húmeda muerta inoculada con algunas termitas en una olla de terracota permite que la colonia crezca. Y luego podemos convertirlo en una comida muy rica en proteínas para aves y cerdos. 3. Las colonias crecen rápidamente. Con el objetivo de maximizar la producción del ecosistema y aumentar la velocidad de realización de los ciclos de nutrientes en el ecosistema, En La Evidencia, nos gustaría poner una olla de terracota que contenga una colonia de termitas en cada una de las ramas del bosque madre en forma de estrella. Así, cada vez que entren en una nueva parcela, los cerdos derramarán la olla de terracota y se alimentarán de las termitas. La rotación del pasto de una parcela a otra permitirá que las colonias de termitas se generen durante dos meses.