Abstract
This study is a comparison of the litterfall, litter decomposition and soil microfungi species diversity in cocoa and mixed food crop agroforest farmlands. The study was carried out in the Atewa and Fanteakwa districts of the Eastern region of Ghana. A total of thirty six sampled plots size of five 25 m x 25 m were randomly demarcated in cocoa agroforest, mixed food crop agrorest and the natural forest reserve. Data collected on litterfall mass and leaf litter decomposition at monthly intervals for a period five months. Soil microfungi species diversity was analyzed from soil samples collected at two depths 0-5cm and 0-10 cm respectively using pour plate method. The reduction in mass of cocoa leaf litter was significantly negatively correlated with the number of days of decomposition. The rate of release of NPK was positively correlated with litter mass. Litter mass production significantly declined in the cocoa agroforest and mixed food crop agroforest farmlands. Initial rate of litter decomposition was generally slow in the cocoa and mixed food crop farmlands than in the natural forest. Soil microfungi species diversity was high in natural forest and low in the cocoa and mixed food crop agroforest farmlands.
Highlights
Cocoa (Theobroma cacao L) is one of the most important crop systems in tropical areas of South and Central America
Plant litter production and decomposition are the two important processes which provide the main input of organic matter in soil and regulate the patterns of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology 2021; 6(3): 92-98 nutrient cycling in forest ecosystems [10, 21, 26]
Mean shade tree litter in the mixed food crops agroforest was twelve times higher than that found in the cocoa agroforest
Summary
Cocoa (Theobroma cacao L) is one of the most important crop systems in tropical areas of South and Central America. Plant litter production and decomposition are the two important processes which provide the main input of organic matter in soil and regulate the patterns of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology 2021; 6(3): 92-98 nutrient cycling in forest ecosystems [10, 21, 26]. According to [2], the key process in nutrient recycling within ecosystems is decomposition, consisting of a series of physical and chemical processes by which leaf litter and foliage are reduced to their elemental chemical constituents. This is one of the most important events in ecosystems for their contribution of nutrients to the soil [1]
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