Soil characteristics in teak plantations and natural forests in Ashanti Region, Ghana

The effects of topography on forest soil characteristics in the Oregon Cascade Mountains (USA): Implications for the effects of climate change on soil properties

“…Bulk density showed an inverse (r = 0.49) and soil moisture a direct relationship (r = 0.73) with SOM, which has also been reported by (Federer et al, 1993;Amponsah and Meyer, 2000). From this we would predict that with increasing elevation, bulk density would decrease and soil moisture increase, which indeed was the case.…”

Effects of active pasture, teak (Tectona grandis) and mixed native plantations on soil chemistry in Costa Rica

“…They found that conversion from natural forest directly to teak plantation decreased the amount of SOM in the first 15-30 years from which it did not recover to natural forest levels for over 60 years. Similarly, Amponsah and Meyer (2000) found decreased SOM in teak plantations (16-27 years old) when compared to undisturbed forests. Since the rotation age of teak in Costa Rica is seldom more than 60 years, it is unlikely that teak plantation soils will ever recover pre-plantation SOC concentrations, especially if followed by subsequent teak plantations and continuous clearing of understory vegetation.…”

“…Luoma (2002) found that teak plantations located on relatively flat sites had lower accumulation of leaf litter than steeper sites, likely due to the increase in humidity, which led to faster decomposition. The loss of leaf cover and/or lack of undergrowth in teak plantations (as was evident in our sites) are often cited as the sources for erosion and loss of SOC (Amponsah and Meyer, 2000) that can be mitigated with understory growth (Laurie and Griffith, 1942;Harrington, 1999). Unfortunately studies have shown a lack of understory recruitment beneath teak plantations (Healey and Gara, 2003) especially with increasing distance from natural forest seed sources (Luoma, 2002).…”

Studies on litter characterization using 13C NMR and assessment of microbial activity in natural forest and plantation crops’ (teak and rubber) soil ecosystems of Kerala, India

“…In case of teak plantations in Kerala the litter fall is reported to be in the range of 5.5 to 12.1 tonnes/ha/year (O'Connell and Sankaran 1997) and in case of forest in the region, the litter fall is reported to be in the range 12.18 to 14.43 tonnes/ha/year (Mohankumar and Deepu 1992). Reports are available on the nutrient turn over from leaf litter of rubber, teak and forest and are not detailed here (Krishnakumar et al 1991;Punnoose et al 1994;Maharudrappa et al 2000;Amponsah and Meyer 2000). However, studies on litter quality and comparative assessment of soil biological properties of these ecosystems viz.…”