Leaf Litter Decomposition and Nutrient-Release Characteristics of Several Willow Varieties Within Short-Rotation Coppice
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Leaf Litter Decomposition and Nutrient-Release Characteristics of Several Willow Varieties Within Short-Rotation Coppice Plantations in Saskatchewan, Canada R. D. Hangs & J. J. Schoenau & K. C. J. Van Rees & N. Bélanger & T. Volk
# Springer Science+Business Media New York 2014
Abstract Quantifying short-rotation coppice (SRC) willow leaf litter dynamics will improve our understanding of carbon (C) sequestration and nutrient cycling potentials within these biomass energy plantations and provide valuable data for model validation. The objective of this study was to quantify the decomposition rate constants (kBiomass) and decomposition limit values (LVBiomass), along with associated release rates (kNutrient) and release limits (LVNutrient) of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), sulphur (S), calcium (Ca), and magnesium (Mg) of leaf litter from several native and exotic willow varieties during an initial 4-year rotation at four sites within Saskatchewan, Canada. The k Biomass , LVBiomass, kNutrient, and LVNutrient values varied among the willow varieties, sites, and nutrients, with average values of 1.7 year−1, 79 %, 0.9 year−1, and 83 %, respectively. Tissue N had the smallest kNutrient and LVNutrient values, whereas tissue K and Mg had the largest kNutrient and LVNutrient values, respectively. The leaf litter production varied among willow varieties and sites with an average biomass accumulation of 7.4 Mg ha−1 after the 4-year rotation and associated C sequestration rate of 0.2 Mg C ha−1 year−1. The average contribution of nutrients released from leaf litter decomposition during the 4-year rotation to the plant available soil nutrient pool across varieties and sites was 22, 4, R. D. Hangs (*) : J. J. Schoenau : K. C. J. Van Rees Department of Soil Science, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada S7N 5A8 e-mail: [email protected] N. Bélanger UER Science et technologie, Téluq, Université du Québec, Montréal, QC, Canada H2S 3L5 T. Volk State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY, USA 13210
47, 10, 112, and 18 kg ha−1 of N, P, K, S, Ca, and Mg, respectively. Principal component analysis identified numerous key relationships between the measured soil, plant tissue, climate, and microclimate variables and observed willow leaf litter decomposition and nutrientrelease characteristics. Our findings support the contention that SRC willow leaf litter is capable of enhancing both soil organic C levels and supplementing soil nutrient availability over time. Keywords Decomposition limit value . Decomposition rate constant . Principal component analysis . Salix . Specific leaf area Abbreviations A Asymtote kBiomass Decomposition rate constant kNutrient Nutrient-release rate constant LSD Least significant difference LVBiomass Decomposition limit value LVNutrient Nutrient-release limit value PCA Principal component analysis SE Standard error SLA Specific leaf area SRC Short-rotation coppice
Introduction There is a worldwide interest in developing renewable energy so
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