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Litter dynamics and fine root production in Schizolobium parahyba var. amazonicum plantations and regrowth forest in Eastern Amazon

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Abstract

Forest plantations and agroforestry systems with Schizolobium parahyba var. amazonicum have greatly expanded in the Brazilian Amazon, generally as an alternative for reforesting degraded areas. To our knowledge there are no reports of above- and below-ground production in these forest systems. We quantified litter and fine root production in 6-yr old Schizolobium-based plantation forests (monospecific: MON, mixture: MIX, and agroforestry system: AFS) and in ~25-yr old regrowth forest (REG) over 8–12 months. We used litter traps and ingrowth cores to quantify litter and fine root production, respectively. Annual litter production was significantly lower in Schizolobium-based plantations (mean ± standard error, MON = 5.92 ± 0.15, MIX = 6.08 ± 0.13, AFS = 6.63 ± 0.13 Mg ha−1 year−1) than in regrowth forest (8.64 ± 0.08 Mg ha−1 year−1). Schizolobium-based plantations showed significantly higher litter stock (MON = 7.7 ± 1.0, MIX = 7.4 ± 0.1 Mg ha−1) than REG (5.9 ± 1.3 Mg ha−1). Total fine root production over an 8-month period was significantly higher in Schizolobium-based plantations (MON = 3.8 ± 0.2, MIX = 3.4 ± 0.2, AFS = 2.7 ± 0.1 Mg ha−1) than in REG (1.1 ± 0.03 Mg ha−1). Six-yr old Schizolobium-based plantations and ~25-yr old regrowth forests showed comparable rates of litter + fine root production, suggesting that young forest plantations may be an interesting alternative to restore degraded areas due to early reestablishment of organic matter cycling under the studied conditions.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Guilherme Cordeiro for his logistical support and Thiago Sozinho, Carolina Shizue, and Aline Faria, for their field and laboratory assistance. We also thank two anonymous reviewers for insightful comments that improved the manuscript. Fellowship financing was made available to Silva by Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior (CAPES), as this study was part of the requirements necessary for obtaining a Master’s Degree in the post-graduate Environmental Studies Program of the Universidade Federal do Para. This study was partly funded by Project Carboagro.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Universidade Federal do Para, Programa de Pos-graduacao em Ciencias Ambientais, Belem, Para, Brazil

    Antonio Kledson Leal Silva

  2. Embrapa Amazonia Oriental, Laboratorio de Ecofisiologia Vegetal, Belem, Para, Brazil

    Steel Silva Vasconcelos & Claudio José Reis de Carvalho

  3. Tramontina Belem S.A., Belem, Para, Brazil

    Iracema Maria Castro Coimbra Cordeiro

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  1. Antonio Kledson Leal Silva
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  2. Steel Silva Vasconcelos
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  3. Claudio José Reis de Carvalho
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  4. Iracema Maria Castro Coimbra Cordeiro
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Correspondence to Steel Silva Vasconcelos.

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Responsible Editor: Johannes Lehmann.

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Silva, A.K.L., Vasconcelos, S.S., de Carvalho, C.J.R. et al. Litter dynamics and fine root production in Schizolobium parahyba var. amazonicum plantations and regrowth forest in Eastern Amazon. Plant Soil 347, 377–386 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-011-0857-0

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