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Estimates of above-ground biomass and nutrient accumulation in Mimosa scabrella fallows in southern Brazil

Estimates of above-ground biomass and nutrient accumulation in Mimosa scabrella fallows in... Naturally regenerated stands of bracatinga ( Mimosa scabrella Bentham) are harvested for firewood after six to eight years of unregulated growth, debris burnt and the area planted to one cycle of intercropped maize ( Zea mays L.) and beans ( Phaseoulus vulgaris L.). Burning breaks dormancy of bracatinga seed (> 80% germination) marking the onset of a new fallow-crop cycle. This production system has been practiced for nearly 100 years in Southern Brazil, covering some 60,000 ha in 3,000 small farms. An estimation of above-ground biomass and nutrient accumulation was made using literature data on stand age, population numbers, tree sizes, tree biomass partitioning and concentration of major nutrients in tree tissues. A simple simulation model, used to quantify above-ground nutrient pathways and their temporal dynamics, confirmed that six to eight years is the optimal rotation length. Biomass and nutrients deposited onto the soil, peak at stand age six years, which may result in significant soil fertility improvement prior to crop planting. At year six, estimated total above-ground biomass amounts to 83 Mg ha −1 ; 44 Mg ha −1 available as firewood and 39 Mg ha −1 to be returned to the soil. Roughly half the amount of nutrients fixed in the above-ground bracatinga biomass would be exported in firewood and subsequent grain crops. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Agroforestry Systems Springer Journals

Estimates of above-ground biomass and nutrient accumulation in Mimosa scabrella fallows in southern Brazil

Agroforestry Systems , Volume 51 (2) – Jan 1, 2001

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References (34)

Publisher
Springer Journals
Copyright
Copyright © 2001 by Kluwer Academic Publishers
Subject
Life Sciences; Agriculture; Forestry
ISSN
0167-4366
eISSN
1572-9680
DOI
10.1023/A:1010670313385
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Naturally regenerated stands of bracatinga ( Mimosa scabrella Bentham) are harvested for firewood after six to eight years of unregulated growth, debris burnt and the area planted to one cycle of intercropped maize ( Zea mays L.) and beans ( Phaseoulus vulgaris L.). Burning breaks dormancy of bracatinga seed (> 80% germination) marking the onset of a new fallow-crop cycle. This production system has been practiced for nearly 100 years in Southern Brazil, covering some 60,000 ha in 3,000 small farms. An estimation of above-ground biomass and nutrient accumulation was made using literature data on stand age, population numbers, tree sizes, tree biomass partitioning and concentration of major nutrients in tree tissues. A simple simulation model, used to quantify above-ground nutrient pathways and their temporal dynamics, confirmed that six to eight years is the optimal rotation length. Biomass and nutrients deposited onto the soil, peak at stand age six years, which may result in significant soil fertility improvement prior to crop planting. At year six, estimated total above-ground biomass amounts to 83 Mg ha −1 ; 44 Mg ha −1 available as firewood and 39 Mg ha −1 to be returned to the soil. Roughly half the amount of nutrients fixed in the above-ground bracatinga biomass would be exported in firewood and subsequent grain crops.

Journal

Agroforestry SystemsSpringer Journals

Published: Jan 1, 2001

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