Abstract
The dynamics of the production, chemical composition, and accumulated nutrients in litterfall are essential to understand the availability of nutrients and, consequently, possible gains in productivity in different forest types. Thus, the objective of the present study was to evaluate the litterfall and the accumulated nutrients in litterfall in a Pinus taeda plantation and native forest from southern Brazil. Two forest types: (i) an eight-year-old Pinus taeda L. plantation; and (ii) a native forest fragment, located in southern Brazil, were studied for four years. The monthly and annual litterfall production, chemical composition, accumulated nutrients, and nutrient use efficiency of the litterfall were evaluated. The Pinus taeda plantation showed higher values of leaves/needles litterfall and N, P, K, Ca and Mg use efficiency. This demonstrates that Pinus taeda plantations have a high production of needle biomass, which, in turn, has increased cell division, favoring the entry of these nutrients into the soil via decomposition. Our results show that total litterfall production did not significantly influence the accumulated nutrient and nutrient efficiency of litterfall, demonstrating that evaluating litterfall fractionation, such as leaves/needles, twigs and miscellaneous, is essential to understand the quantity and quality of litterfall and, thus, the nutrient cycling, which can contribute to possible silvicultural practices to be implemented, which can provide growth gains in forest types.
Highlights
The growth in global demand for wood products led to the establishment of reforesting areas, reaching 131 million hectares of forest stands for commercial purposes worldwide [1].The crops used in the establishment of such stands are common species with rapid growth and short rotation, but in the long run, critical problems may arise, such as reduced productivity and soil degradation [2]
The monthly dynamics of litterfall production of leaves/needles, miscellaneous and total fractions were significantly affected by the months (p < 0.001) (Table 1)
Litterfall production in the native forest was higher from August to November, when compared to the Pinus taeda plantation
Summary
The growth in global demand for wood products led to the establishment of reforesting areas, reaching 131 million hectares of forest stands for commercial purposes worldwide [1]. The crops used in the establishment of such stands are common species with rapid growth and short rotation, but in the long run, critical problems may arise, such as reduced productivity and soil degradation [2]. Relevant concerns are raised about the continued decline in productivity and soil fertility of Pinus taeda plantations, as reported in other conifers [7,8,9,10]. Maintaining productivity in subsequent rotations is one of the central principles of long-term sustainability in commercial plantations [11]
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