Litter stock and quality in Eucalyptus grandis in Northern Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil

Abstract Litter decomposition restores part of the elements absorbed by the plant back into the soil, acting as a regulator of the biogeochemical cycling of nutrients. This study aimed to evaluate the litter quantity and quality of Eucalyptus grandis in Northern Fluminense region, RJ. Three rotational sequences were studied, the first after 8 years (FR8), the second after 1.5 years (SR2), and a 5year old regrowth (R5). Leaf litter was divided into whole leaves (WL), fragmented pieces (FP), twigs/branches (TB), reproductive structures (RS) and bark (B). The total litter in FR8 was 9.56 Mg ha-1, in SR2, 13.85, and in R5, 22.97 Mg ha-1, corresponding to 83, 163 and 75 kg ha-1 of N, respectively. FP represented 38%, 48% and 55% of N, respectively, in SR2, R5 and FR8. The WL and FP fractions have high recycling potential of organic matter and nutrients due to their lower C/N and Lig/N quality index values.

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	Cunha,Gláucio de Mello, Costa,Gilmar Santos, Gama-Rodrigues,Antonio Carlos
Format:	Digital revista
Language:	English
Published:	Instituto de Florestas da Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro 2020
Online Access:	http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S2179-80872020000300130
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