Arboreal Legume Litter Nutrient Contribution to a Tropical Silvopasture Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • 2016 by the American Society of Agronomy. Legumes contribute to pasture sustainability through symbiotic N2 fixation, which may increase primary productivity and animal performance in low-input systems. Litterfall is the main way of cycling nutrients from tree legumes. We quantified gliricidia [Gliricidia sepium (Jacq.) Kunth ex Walp.] and sabi (Mimosa caesalpiniifolia Benth) litter deposition, along two 336-d cycles, in a signalgrass (Brachiaria decumbens Stapf.) pasture. Litterfall was produced throughout the year but concentrated in the dry season. Sabi produced slightly greater (P < 0.0001) litterfall amounts in the two cycles (10,790 kg ha1) than gliricidia (10,420 kg ha1) but the overall average N concentration of gliricidia (21.5 g kg1) was greater than that of sabi (18.8 g kg1). Nitrogen amounts cycled through the litter were greater for gliricidia in both cycles (105 and 109 kg N ha1) than for sabi (87 and 98 kg N ha1). The proportions of litter N that were derived from the atmosphere by symbiotic fixation were similar (P 0.05) in both species (55%) and varied little along the two cycles. Lignin concentration, which influences decomposition, was similar in both species, averaging 238 and 214 g kg1 in the two cycles for gliricidia and 233 and 246 g kg1 for sabi. Greater N concentration, lower C/N ratio and lower lignin concentration indicate that gliricidia litter may have a faster cycling rate than sabi litter. Sabi could be a more promising species for soil cover and protection because of its slower litter decomposition rate.

published proceedings

  • AGRONOMY JOURNAL

altmetric score

  • 0.5

author list (cited authors)

  • de Oliveira Apolinario, V. X., Batista, D., Lira, M., Sampaio, E., de Amorim, S. O., de Miranda e Silva, N. G., & Muir, J. P.

citation count

  • 7

complete list of authors

  • Oliveira Apolinário, Valéria Xavier||Dubeux, José Carlos Batista||Andrade Lira, Mário||Sampaio, Everardo VSB||Amorim, Silvânia Oliveira||Miranda e Silva, Nalígia Gomes||Muir, James P

publication date

  • November 2016

publisher