LITTER PRODUCTION IN AGROFORESTRY SYSTEM, CASTANHAL, PARÁ.

Authors

  • Lucas Santos Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina
  • Lívia Gabrig Turbay Rangel Vasconcelos Universidade Federal Rural da Amazônia
  • Breno Pinto Rayol Instituto de Ciências Agrárias, Universidade Federal Rural da Amazônia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.28998/rca.v20i1.12331

Keywords:

Amazon, Agroecosystems, Leaf litter

Abstract

Litter is the layer above the soil, consisting of leaves, twigs, flowers, fruits, and miscellany. It is an important indicator of environmental recovery and is responsible for major processes in the forest ecosystem, such as soil protection, moisture retention, and nutrient cycling. Agroforestry systems are consorting models between forest, agricultural, and/or animal species. They are used as alternative for the recovery of degraded areas as well as for economic purposes. The aimed of this study was to quantify the litter produced in an agroforestry system located in the municipality of Castanhal, Pará. The experiment was conducted in the `Fazenda Escola` of the Federal Rural University of the Amazon, Castanhal, Pará. Twelve wooden collectors with dimensions of 1 m x 1 m were randomly installed within the agroforestry system under study. Collections were monthly conducted between the months of June and September 2019. Litter samples were sent to the laboratory for analyses such as fractionation, drying, and weighing. The average litter produced was equal to 6.30 Mg.ha-1. There was no significant difference between litter production months, however, leaves were the fraction that most influenced the litter layer formation, with 66.7% of representativeness of all the material collected by collectors, differing significantly from the other fractions. Leaves are the fraction with the greatest impact on the litter layer formation in the agroforestry system under study.

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Published

2022-04-29

Issue

Section

Ciências Florestais