Abstract
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.
Highlights
AND OBJECTIVEEucalyptus cultivation in Brazil occurs in very diverse climate, soil and topography conditions (Gonçalves et al, 2013)
This study aimed to evaluate the litter quantity and quality of Eucalyptus grandis in Northern Fluminense region, RJ
The most pronounced seasonal effect was observed in R5, with a higher amount of material accumulated in the dry season
Summary
Eucalyptus cultivation in Brazil occurs in very diverse climate, soil and topography conditions (Gonçalves et al, 2013). There have been plantations in the form of windbreakers, subsistence crops, agroforestry systems, small-scale commercial crops without fertilization management and predominantly high-tech commercial crops. This is due to the great adaptation versatility of the different eucalyptus species and to the ability of eucalyptus producers in Brazil to take advantage of these capacities of the plant. Common sense among small-scale farmers is that the eucalyptus “grows well anywhere”, so usually they plant it in marginal areas on the property. In the State of Rio de Janeiro, the eucalyptus crops are cultivated mostly in small areas. The approximately 18,000 ha occupied by this crop are distributed in 998 cultivated areas (Amorim et al, 2012), indicating an average of 18 ha per area
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