RT Journal Article
T1 Nutrient Contribution of Litterfall in a Short Rotation Plantation of Pure or Mixed Plots of Populus alba L. and Robinia pseudoacacia L.
A1 González, Isabel
A1 Sixto, Hortensia
A1 Rodríguez Soalleiro, Roque
A1 Oliveira, Nerea
K1 Short rotation coppice (SRC)
K1 Biomass
K1 White poplar
K1 Black locust
K1 Monocultures
K1 Mixture
K1 Leaf litter
AB This study aims to quantify the potential contribution of nutrients derived from leaf litter in a short rotation coppice plantation which includes monocultures of the species Populus alba (PA) and Robina pseudoacacia (RP) as well as a mixture of 50PA:50RP, in the middle of the rotation. The P. alba monoculture was that which provided the most leaf litter (3.37 mg ha−1 yr−1), followed by the 50PA:50RP mixture (2.82 mg ha−1 yr−1) and finally the R. pseudoacacia monoculture (2.55 mg ha−1 yr−1). In addition to producing more litterfall, leaves were shed later in the P. alba monoculture later (December) than in the R. pseudoacacia monoculture (October) or the mix (throughout the fall). In terms of macronutrient supply per hectare, the contributions derived from leaf litter were higher for K, P and Mg in the case of P. alba and for N in R. pseudoacacia, the mix presenting the highest Ca content and intermediate concentrations for the rest of the nutrients. In addition, other factors such as C:N or N:MO ratios, as well as the specific characteristics of the soil, can have an important impact on the final contribution of these inputs. The carbon contribution derived from leaf fall was higher in the P. alba monoculture (1.5 mg ha−1 yr−1), intermediate in the mixed plot (1.3 mg ha−1 yr−1) and slightly lower for the R. pseudoacacia monoculture (1.3 mg ha−1 yr−1). Given these different strategies of monocultures with regard to the dynamism of the main nutrients, species mixing would appear to be suitable option to achieve a potential reduction in mineral fertilization in these plantations
PB MDPI
YR 2020
FD 2020
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10347/24053
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10347/24053
LA eng
NO González, I.; Sixto, H.; Rodríguez-Soalleiro, R.; Oliveira, N. Nutrient Contribution of Litterfall in a Short Rotation Plantation of Pure or Mixed Plots of Populus alba L. and Robinia pseudoacacia L.. Forests 2020, 11, 1133
NO This research was funded by MINECO (Spain) through the framework of the project’s RTA 2008-00025-C02-01 and RTA2017-00015-CO2 co-financed with funds from FEDER
DS Minerva
RD 24 abr 2026