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Maize, soybean and sunflower litter dynamics in two physicochemically different soils

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Abstract

The decomposition rates of different plant parts of maize (Zea mays L.; Gramineae), soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.; Leguminosae] and sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.; Compositae) were studied in soils with different physicochemical characteristics, and their contribution to nutrient availability was assessed. Litter decomposition rates were affected by plant species, plant part, and soil characteristics. In site A (SiCL soil), loss of litter mass was highest in soybean followed by sunflower and maize. In site B (Loam soil), loss of litter mass for soybean and sunflower was almost the same, while for maize it was lower. Nutrient release was high when their soil concentration was initially low. The higher the initial concentration of a nutrient in a plant part the greater its release rate. Nutrients, especially N, released from maize litter mass will be available to successive crops for a longer period than for soybean and sunflower, and are unaffected by soil texture. Nutrients are easily removed from sunflower and soybeans and are more likely to be lost through leaching than nutrients from maize.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Agriculture, Laboratory of Ecology & Environmental Protection, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 540 06, Thessaloniki, Greece

    K. L. Kalburtji

  2. Faculty of Agriculture, Laboratory of Ecology & Environmental Protection, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 540 06, Thessaloniki, Greece

    A. P. Mamolos

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  1. K. L. Kalburtji
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  2. A. P. Mamolos
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Correspondence to K. L. Kalburtji.

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Kalburtji, K.L., Mamolos, A.P. Maize, soybean and sunflower litter dynamics in two physicochemically different soils. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems 57, 195–206 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009814218516

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