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Indian Forester, Vol 109, No 6 (1983), Pagination: 370-378
Abstract
StudIes on the chemical composition and total quantity of the leaf-litter from the Eucalyptus globulus and Acacia mearnsii plantations have been worked out. Eucalyptus globulus (Bluegum leaf-litter in the Nilgiris in Tamil Nadu adds annually 1935 kg/ha of litter ((Oven dry wt.) which by way of nutrients works out to annual addition of 31 kg N/ha, 0.8 kg P/ha, 4.3 kg K/ha, 18.8kgCa/ha, 21 kg Mg/ha in addition to 1548 kg organic matter/ha. Acacia mearnsii (Black wattle) leaf litter adds annually 960 kg/ha of litter (Oven dry wt ) which by way of nutrients work out to annual addition of 22.1 kg N/ha, 0.5 kg P/ha, 3.4 kg K/ha, 3.3 kg Ca/ha, 0.9 kg Mg/ha. In addition to 662 kg Organic matter/ha, containing all important micro-nutrients. Recycling of nutrients in the above plantation keeps the land under high fertility status, with rich top soil and dense vegetation. Thus there will be no problem of erosion in protected Bluegum and Black wattle plantations. A comparison of nutrients added by the leaf-litter of Shola with that of Bluegum and Black wattle plantation revealed that the leaf-litter of Shola contained higher percentage of nutrients (especially that of Nitrogen, Potassium, Calcium and Organic matter) than that of Bluegum or Black wattle.
