Nitrogen (N) transfer from leguminous trees can be a major N source for the associated crop in low-input
agroforestry systems. The aim of this study was to identify the main climatic and soil factors controlling N
transfer from the leguminous tree Gliricidia sepium (Jacq.) Walp to the associated grass Dichanthium
aristatum(Poir.) C.E. Hubb, in a 16-year-old tropical agroforestry system. Nitrogen transfer was estimated
using the natural
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N abundance method. Before tree pruning, total N transfer represented 57% of the N
uptake of the grass, including 31% coming from N
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fixation. The spatial variation induced by the tree was
well described by soil organic N content (ON). In this system, ON is an index of soil available N as well as of
tree root density. Rainfall (R) and evapotranspiration (ETP) were the main climatic factors controlling N
transfer. Multiple regression analysis indicated that R, ETP and ON explained 79% of the temporal and
spatial variation of N transfer. Transferred N cannot be estimated after pruning because of the change in
the isotopic signature of the soil N source. This was related to N release from root turnover. The results
suggest that grass showed a preferential uptake of N coming from the tree, which could be due to a lower
energy cost compared to obtaining absorbed N from the clayey soil used in this work.