Abstract
A field study was conducted to investigate the nutrient content of green and abscised leaves of Croton macrostachyus Del. and Millettia ferruginea (Hochst.) Baker and their decomposition to return these nutrients to the soil in the short-term. Green and abscised leaves were collected from trees of comparable size in Wondo Genet, Ethiopia, and were incorporated into litterbags to decompose for a period of 12 weeks. Green leaves of C. macrostachyus had significantly higher nutrient concentrations than those of M. ferruginea. In both species, green leaves had significantly higher (P<0.05) C, N and P and significantly lower (P<0.05) lignin and polyphenol concentrations than abscised leaves. Fifty percent of the biomass applied was lost during the first 7 weeks in C. macrostachyus, which was about 3 times faster than that of M. ferruginea. The half-lives of N and P were 5–8 weeks and 4–6 weeks, respectively, in C. macrostachyus; the corresponding values for M. ferruginea were 6–8 and about 22 weeks, respectively. Only 15.7% and 26.8% of green and abscised leaves of C. macrostachyus, respectively, were recovered after the 12 weeks of decomposition. The corresponding values were about 3.5-fold and 2.5-fold higher for M. ferruginea. Generally, leaves with higher initial lignin, polyphenol, lignin:N and C:N ratios had lower decomposition and mineralization rates. In both species, removal of leaf biomass before abscission (e.g. by pruning) could enhance both the quantity and rate of nutrient return to the soil.
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Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful to the Swedish International Development Co-operation Agency, Sweden for funding the research; Wondo Genet College of Forestry, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, the International Livestock Research Institute and the Ethiopian National Soil Laboratory Service for their assistance in field and laboratory assessments.
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Gindaba, J., Olsson, M. & Itanna, F. Nutrient composition and short-term release from Croton macrostachyus Del. and Millettia ferruginea (Hochst.) Baker leaves. Biol Fertil Soils 40, 393–397 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-004-0767-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-004-0767-x