Production and decomposition of litter in different mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla King) cropping systems

Abstract

The objective of this work was to evaluate the litter production and decomposition in three mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla King) systems in the northeastern Pará region. The treatments were: T1-mahogany consortium with forest species; T2-homogeneous plantation of mahogany; and T3-secondary forest enriched with mahogany. Collectors of 1 m 2 opening were used to collect the litter produced monthly for a year. Evaluations were performed monthly for one year. The decomposed litter was estimated by means of the relation between the litter produced and the litter accumulated in the soil. The litter deposition dynamics did not present a significant correlation with variations in rainfall and average temperature. The homogeneous mahogany plantation produced more litter (5.6 Mg ha-1 year-1) with the leaf fraction being the most representative. The decomposition and renewal of litter did not differ between the three mahogany environments. The pure Brazilian mahogany plantation produced a larger amount of litter compared to the other planting systems, with the leaf fraction presenting the highest percentage contribution.

Quantification of biomass and litter in agroforestry system with sour orange cultivation in the Brazilian Amazon

“…The decomposition of litter in regions such as in the Brazilian Amazon (humid tropical) is accelerated and quickly supplies nutrients to the soil, but there is a high variation in the quantity, quality and decomposition of this litter (Zhang et al, 2014, Correia et al, 2018. This is due to several factors, including rainfall and the type of species that make up the area.…”

Litter stock, litterfall and nutrients in the Amazonia: defining patterns from last 40 years of scientific research

“…As for the MIP, although species diversity is also present, the low production registered is probably because most of the scientific works developed concerning these ecosystems were related to previously degraded areas [20,25,28,73]. As well as the SCF ecosystem, where both present conditions that hinder the development of the plant, even though their soil was prepared in advance.…”

“…After the collection process, it is necessary to estimate the dry mass of the whole material but for that, it is necessary to take the litter samples to an oven with air circulation and weight each sample individually in an analytical balance. Some studies also separate the litterfall and litter stock into fractions (i.e., leaves, branches, and reproductive material) to determine how much each fraction contributes to the litterfall and litter stock in general [21,27,28]. Others also analyze the quality based on the contents of its chemical elements to improve soil fertility [29,30].…”