Aboveground Litter Production of Three Temperate Semidesert Shrubs

1985 ◽  
Vol 113 (1) ◽  
pp. 158 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neil E. West
Keyword(s):  
Litter Production ◽  
Aboveground Litter

scholarly journals Plant litter decomposition in a semiarid rangeland of Argentina: species and defoliation effects

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (5) ◽  
pp. 371
Author(s):  
Mariela L. Ambrosino ◽  
Carlos A. Busso ◽  
Yanina A. Torres ◽  
Leticia S. Ithurrart ◽  
Juan M. Martínez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Litter Decomposition ◽  
Leaf Blade ◽  
Plant Litter ◽  
Perennial Grasses ◽  
Litter Production ◽  
Litter Bags ◽  
N Content ◽  
Plant Litter Decomposition ◽  
Root Litter ◽  
Aboveground Litter

Plant litter decomposition is critical for terrestrial ecosystem productivity. Poa ligularis Nees ex Steud and Nassella tenuis (Phil.) Barkworth are native, desirable perennial grasses in central Argentina’s rangelands. Amelichloa ambigua (Speg.) Arriaga & Barkworth is only consumed when a better forage is unavailable. Litter traps were used to collect aboveground litter during two years. In March 2012, six bags, each one containing either leaf blade (three bags, one per species) or root litter (three bags, one per species) of the three species were located below the canopy of each replicate plant of the studied species (hereafter referred to as ‘location’). Blade litter bags were located on the soil surface, and root litter bags buried at 10cm soil depth. This allowed evaluation of the effects of defoliation, the different species canopies and the microbial community activity around their roots on decomposition of above- and belowground litter. For each species, twenty plants were either defoliated twice (5cm stubble height) or remained undefoliated during the growing season. Litter bags were collected after 2, 7, 13 and 24 months incubation. The study was repeated in 2013, with additional bags were placed for N content determination on leaf blade and root litters. Aboveground litter production was highest in P. ligularis; however, no differences were observed among species when the effect of plant size was eliminated. Aboveground litter of desirable species had higher N content and decomposed faster than that of A. ambigua. The opposite was recorded for root litter. Defoliation had no effect on litter decomposition, but location effects were detected after one year of incubation. Desirable perennial grasses promoted organic matter loss from litter, a key factor in increasing soil fertility in this semiarid ecosystem.

scholarly journals Aboveground litter inputs determine carbon storage across soil profiles: a meta-analysis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shan Xu ◽  
Emma J. Sayer ◽  
Nico Eisenhauer ◽  
Xiankai Lu ◽  
Junjian Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Storage ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Soil Profiles ◽  
Aboveground Litter

scholarly journals Comparative Dynamics of Above-Ground Litter Production and Decomposition from Eucalyptus Grandis Hill ex Maiden and Pinus Taeda L., and Their Contribution to Soil Organic Carbon

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 349
Author(s):  
Andrés Baietto ◽  
Jorge Hernández ◽  
Amabelia del Pino
Keyword(s):  
Pinus Taeda ◽  
Decomposition Rate ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Eucalyptus Grandis ◽  
Isotopic Analysis ◽  
Forest Litter ◽  
First Year ◽  
Litter Production ◽  
Forest Species ◽  
Pinus Taeda L

The replacement of native pasture by exotic commercial forest species is an infrequent situation worldwide. In these systems, a new component is introduced, forest litter, which constitutes one of the main ways of incorporating carbon into the soil–plant system. The present work seeks to establish a methodological approach to study the dynamics of litter production and decomposition in an integrated way. The general objective was to characterize and compare the litter production dynamics in 14-year-old Eucalyptus grandis Hill ex Maiden and Pinus taeda L. commercial plantations. During two years, seasonal evaluations of fall, decomposition and accumulation of litter were carried out in stands of both species. In turn, the contribution of carbon from forest species to the soil through isotopic analysis techniques was quantified. Litterfall in E. grandis showed maximums during the spring of the first year and in the spring and summer of the second. In P. taeda, the maximums occurred in summer of the first year and in autumn of the second. In relation to the decomposition rate, the results based on short periods of evaluation between 15 and 21 months did not show differences between species, nor for the different moments of beginning of the evaluation, obtaining average values of 0.0369 month−1 for E. grandis and 0.0357 month−1 for P. taeda. In turn, both the decomposition rate of the material as a whole and the estimates of accumulated biomass in equilibrium state did not show significant differences between the species. Additionally, there was a relevant incorporation of carbon into the soil by forest species, fundamentally in the first few centimeters, substituting an important proportion of the carbon inherited by the original cover of native pastures. Finally, it is necessary to specify that the scope of the findings obtained is greatly limited by the sample size used in this study.

scholarly journals A County-Level Assessment of Manure Nutrient Availability Relative to Crop Nutrient Capacity in Iowa: Spatial and Temporal Trends

2017 ◽  
Vol 60 (5) ◽  
pp. 1669-1680 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Steven Andersen ◽  
Laura M. Pepple
Keyword(s):  
Crop Production ◽  
Livestock Production ◽  
Land Application ◽  
Animal Production ◽  
Nutrient Loss ◽  
Litter Production ◽  
County Level ◽  
Unequal Distribution ◽  
Waste Products ◽  
Production Areas

Abstract. During the twentieth century, U.S. agriculture strived to achieve increased food production in order to satisfy both local and export demands. In many cases, this led to increased farm sizes and an operational separation of crop and livestock production. The trend of increasing centralization and industrialization of agriculture, specifically animal agriculture, has resulted in the concentration of waste products associated with animal production (manures and wash-down water) over relatively small geographic areas that are spatially segregated from crop production areas. Because the distance that manure can be economically hauled for land application has practical limits, the public is concerned that this spatial separation of crop and animal production areas could lead to over-application of manures near animal feeding facilities, and thus potentially increase the transport of nutrients to ground and surface waters. An aggregated analysis (statewide) of crop and animal production in Iowa suggests that about 30% to 40% of current nitrogen and phosphorus requirements for crop production could be supplied from manures and litters generated from livestock production, while about 50% of potassium requirements could be supplied. However, neither livestock nor crop production in Iowa is uniformly distributed across all counties. This unequal distribution suggests that a more disaggregated analysis of crop nutrient requirements and manure nutrient supply is necessary to estimate the risks of excess nutrient loss to the environment. Thus, we evaluated crop nutrient demand and manure and litter production at the county level to determine if excess manure generation is of concern and to locate areas where additional manures could be used. Results showed that several counties are becoming manure rich, but most locations maintain sufficient capacity to use manure nutrients effectively. Keywords: Crop nutrient capacity, Manure management, Manure production, Nutrient balance, Nutrient management.

scholarly journals Nutrient resorption and patterns of litter production and decomposition in a Neotropical Savanna

2007 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
pp. 1034-1043 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. R. KOZOVITS ◽  
M. M. C. BUSTAMANTE ◽  
C. R. GAROFALO ◽  
S. BUCCI ◽  
A. C. FRANCO ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nutrient Resorption ◽  
Litter Production ◽  
Neotropical Savanna
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