Abstract
At two sites in Taï region of south-west Côte d'Ivoire, one with a 4-year (4-Y) and the other with a 20-year (20-Y) old fallow vegetation, dry matter and nutrient contents of the different parts of the vegetation were studied. The vegetation was slashed, dried and burnt according to the local system. During the burn temperature was recorded as well as amount of ash produced. At soil surface, temperatures above 500°C were found. At 0.5-cm and 1.5-cm depth, temperatures above 260°C and 150°C, respectively, were rare. Because slashed vegetation could dry only during a short period, not more than 45% of the 56.1 ton dry matter was burnt on the 4-Y site and not more than 15% of the 117.4 ton dry matter on the 20-Y site. Plant parts burnt consisted mainly of smaller sized fractions: litter, dead wood, leaves and wood <5 cm ø. Variability of ash data was high. Ash production amounted to approximately 2.5 ton ha-1 at both sites. Nutrient contents of ashes were also about equal at both sites. An exception was K content, being higher in ash from 4-year-old vegetation.
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Van Reuler, H., Janssen, B.H. Nutrient fluxes in the shifting cultivation system of south-west Côte d'Ivoire. Plant Soil 154, 169–177 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00012522
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00012522