TITLE:
Influence of the rainfall in the content of nutrients in litter in agroforestry systems managed with burning and without burning in Amazon
AUTHORS:
Rosecélia Moreira Da Silva Castro, Maria De Lourdes Pinheiro Ruivo, Jorge Luiz Piccinin, Eraldo Ferreira Rodrigues
KEYWORDS:
Forest; Management; Ecosystem; Seasonality; Litterfall
JOURNAL NAME:
Agricultural Sciences,
Vol.4 No.11A,
November
29,
2013
ABSTRACT:
This study evaluated the nutrient content of
the litter, testing different treatments with burning and no burning, of the
vegetation, to identify which one provides better efficiency in operation and
production of nutrients in different seasonal conditions. The study area is
located on the property of the family farmer, initially selected by a
diagnosis socioeconomic, community Benjamin Constant, in northeastern Para.
Litter was collected during two periods: dry season (November) and rainy
(March) in 2009. For the collection of litter samples, we used collectors
measuring (0.25 × 0.25 m2), which were placed
directly on the soil surface. The collected material was stored in paper bags
and taken to the laboratory for Chemical Analysis of the Brazilian
Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA), which was determined by analyses
of macronutrients (N, P, K, Ca, Mg, Na) and micronutrients (Fe, Cu, Mn, Zn).
The highest concentrations of macronutrients were found in N for agroforestry
systems with and without burning in two seasons (wet and dry). All macronutrients
showed influence of seasonality, which was verified by the wide variation in
nutritional behavior. The decreasing concentration of nutrients was presented
N > Ca > Mg > Na > K > P in agroforestry system with burning,
with maximum values of all nutrients in the rainy season, and N, P, K, Ca, Na
in higher concentrations in agroforestry system without burning, and showed only the Mg peak
in agroforestry system with burning. The behavior of the concentration of
nutrients was opposite to that observed one, for all elements analyzed showed a
reduction in the concentrations of nutrients in the dry season. The decreasing
concentration of nutrients was presented Fe > Mn > Zn > Cu.