Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-v9fdk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-14T19:20:07.974Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Nutrient content of litterfall in coniferous forest plantations in central Java, Indonesia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 July 2009

L. A. Bruijnzeel
L. A. Bruijnzeel
Affiliation:
Department of Hydrology, Institute of Earth Sciences, Free University, PO Box 7161, 1007 MC Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Production and nutrient content of small litterfall were studied for one year in four plantations of Agathis dammara ranging in age from 7 to 35 years old, in a 12-year-old stand of Pinus merkusii and in an approximately three-year-old shrub community dominated by Eupatorium species. The dense Pinus plantation produced considerably more litter (10 t/ha/yr, with 5.5 t/ha as needles) than any of the Agathis stands (2.6–6.2 t/ha/yr; 2.3–3.5 t/ha as leaves) or nearby Lower Montane Rain Forest (6.8 t/ha/yr; 5.4 t/ha as leaves). Litterfall in the Agathis forests increased with stand age. The shrubs produced sizeable amounts of litter (3.4 t/ha/yr). The various species responded differently to a drought occurring during the study period.

Pine litter generally exhibited low nutrient concentrations (on average 9.2, 1.9, 2.5, 0.4 and 6.0 mg/g of calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen respectively in needle litter), whilst concentrations in shrub litter were generally high (37.8, 4.9, 1.4, 1.05 and 21.5 mg/g for the same elements); Agathis litter usually showed nutrient concentrations that were intermediate between those for pine or shrub litterfall with only minor differences between stands. Comparison of the present findings with observations at other tropical sites suggests that nutrient content of litterfall in plantation forests may approach that of natural forests when the former become about 20 years old. Pine plantations may constitute an exception in this regard.

Keywords

Agathis dammaraEupatorium inulifoliumIndonesialitterfallnutrient cyclingPinus merkusiitropical rain foresttorpical tree plantations
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Tropical Ecology , Volume 1 , Issue 4 , November 1985 , pp. 353 - 372
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1985

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

LITERATURE CITED

Bemmelen, R. W. Van 1949. The geology of Indonesia. Government Printing Office, The Hague. 732 pp.Google Scholar
Bernhard-Reversat, F. 1976. Essai de comparaison des cycles d'éléments minéraux dans les plantations de Framiré (Terminalia ivorensis) et en forêt naturelle de Côte-d'Ivoire. Revue Bois et Forêts des Tropiques 167:25–38.Google Scholar
Boer, H. J. De 1950. On the relation between rainfall and altitude in Java, Indonesia. Chronica Naturae 106:424–427.Google Scholar
Brasell, H. M., Unwin, G. L. & Stocker, G. C. 1980. The quantity, temporal distribution and mineral element content of litterfall in two forest types at two sites in tropical Australia. Journal of Ecology 68:123–129.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bray, J. R. & Gorham, E. 1964. Litter production in the forests of the world. Advances in Ecological Research 2:101–157.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bruijnzeel, L A. 1983. Hydrological and biogeochemical aspects of man-made forests in south-central Java, Indonesia. Ph.D. thesis, Free University, Amsterdam. 256 pp.Google Scholar
Bruijnzeel, L. A. 1984a. Elemental content of litterfall in a Lower Montane Rain Forest in Central Java, Indonesia. Malayan Nature Journal 37:199–208.Google Scholar
Bruijnzeel, L. A. 1984b. Immobilization of nutrients in plantation forests of Pinus merkusii and Agathis dammara growing on volcanic soils in central Java, Indonesia. International conference on soils and nutrition of perennial crops, 08 1984, Kuala Lumpur. 16 pp.Google Scholar
Bruijnzeel, L A. & Wiersum, K. F. 1985. A nutrient balance sheet for Agathis dammara Warb. plantation forest under various management conditions in central Java, Indonesia. Forest Ecology and Management 10:195–208.Google Scholar
Buckley, D. E. & Cranston, R. E. 1971. Atomic absorption analyses of eighteen elements from a single decomposition of alumino-silicate. Chemical Geology 7:273–284.Google Scholar
Cornforth, I. S. 1970. Leaf-fall in a tropical rain forest. Journal of Applied Ecology 7:603–608.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Coster, C. 1938. Surficial runoff and erosion on Java. Tectona 31:613–728 (in Dutch with English summary).Google Scholar
Edwards, P. J. 1977. Studies of mineral cycling in a montane rain forest in New Guinea. II. The production and disappearance of litter. Journal of Ecology 65:971–992.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Egunjobi, J. K. & Fasehun, F. E. 1972. Preliminary observations on the monthly litter fall and nutrient content of Pinus caribaea L litter. Nigerian Journal of Science 6:37–45.Google Scholar
Egunjobi, J. K. & Onweluzo, B. S. 1979. Litterfall, mineral turnover and litter accumulation in Pinus caribaea L. stands at Ibadan, Nigeria. Biotropica 11:251–255.Google Scholar
Enright, N. J. 1979. Litter production and nutrient partitioning in rain-forest near Bulolo, Papua New Guinea. Malaysian Forester 42:202–207.Google Scholar
Ewel, J. J. 1976. Litterfall and leaf decomposition in a tropical forest succession in eastern Guatemala. Journal of Ecology 64:293–308.Google Scholar
Fao/Unesco 1974. Soil map of the world. Vol. 1. Sheet IX. South-east Asia. Unesco, Paris.Google Scholar
Fey, M. V. & Le Roux, J. 1977. Properties and quantitative estimation of poorly crystalline components in sesquioxidic soil clays. Clays and Clay Minerals 25:285–294.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Folster, H. & De Las Salas, G. 1976. Litterfall and mineralization in three tropical evergreen forest stands. Acta Cientifica Venezolana 27:196–202.Google Scholar
Gautam-Basak, M. & Proctor, J. 1983. Micronutrients, aluminium, silicon and ash in leaf litter-fall from forests in Gunung Mulu National Park, Sarawak. Malaysian Forester 46:224–232.Google Scholar
Jorgensen, J. R., Wells, C. G. & Metz, L. J. 1975. The nutrient cycle: key to continuous forest production. Journal of Forestry 07 1975:400–403.Google Scholar
Kellman, M. C. 1970. Secondary plant succession in tropical montane Mindanao. Publication BG/2, Research School of Pacific Studies, Australian National University, Canberra. 174 pp.Google Scholar
Lim, M. T. 1978. Litterfall and mineral nutrient content of litter in Pasoh Forest Reserve. Malayan Nature Journal 30:375–380.Google Scholar
Lundgren, B. 1978. Soil conditions and nutrient cycling under natural and plantation forests in Tanzanian Highlands. Reports in forest ecology and forest soils no. 31. Department of Forest Soils, Swedish University of Agricultural Science, Uppsala. 426 pp.Google Scholar
Merz, W. 1970. Neuer Automat zur Stickstoffschnellbestimmung. Laboratorium (Darmstadt). pp. 617–625.Google Scholar
Olaoye, S. A. O. 1974. Studies on the ecology and control of Eupatorium odoratum L. (Siam weed). M.Sc. thesis, University of Ibadan, Nigeria.Google Scholar
Proctor, J. 1983. Tropical forest litterfall. I. Problems of data comparisoa Pp. 267–273 in Sutton, S. L., Whitmore, T. C. & Chadwick, A. C. (eds). Tropical rain forest: ecology and management. Blackwell, Oxford. 498 pp.Google Scholar
Proctor, J. 1984. Tropical Forest litterfall. II. The data set. Pp. 83–113 in Chadwick, A. C. & Sutton, S. L. (eds). Tropical rain forest: ecology and management. Supplementary Volume. Leeds Philosophicaland Literary Society, Leeds. 335 pp.Google Scholar
Proctor, J., Anderson, J. M., Fogden, S. C L. & Vallack, H. W. 1983. Ecological studies in four contrasting lowland rain forests in Gunung Mulu National Park, Sarawak. II. Litterfall, litter standing crop and preliminary observations on herbivory. Journal of Ecology 71:261–283.Google Scholar
Schuylenborgh, J. Van 1954. The effect of air-drying of soil samples upon some physical soil properties. Netherlands Journal of Agricultural Science 13:53–56.Google Scholar
Seth, S. K., Kaul, O. N. & Gupta, A. C. 1963. Some observations on nutrition cycle and return of nutrients in plantations at New Forest. Indian Forester 89:90–98.Google Scholar
Smec, (SNOWY MOUNTAINS ENGINEERING CORPORATION). 1974. Serayu river basin study – feasibility report. Volume 3A. Hydrology report. Department of Public Works and Electric Power, Jakarta, Indonesia. 289 pp.Google Scholar
Suharlan, A., Sumarna, K. & Sudiyono, Y. 1975. Yield table of ten industrial wood species. Forest Research Institute, Bogor.Google Scholar
Sutjahjo, B. A. 1975. Produksi dan akumulasi serasah pada tegakan Pinus merkusii J. et de Vr. di B.K.P.H. Lawu Utara, K.P.H. Surakarta. M.Sc. thesis, Department of Forestry, Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta. 43 pp.Google Scholar
Team Vegetation And Erosion. 1979a. Description of different forest types in the Kali Mondo Watershed, Central Java. Internal Report no. 6, Institute of Ecology, Padjadjaran University, Bandung. 23 pp.Google Scholar
Team Vegetation And Erosion. 1979b. Production measurements in a young Acacia auriculi-formis plantation at Ubrug, Jatiluhur. Internal Report no. 9, Institute of Ecology, Padjadjaran University, Bandung. 18 pp.Google Scholar
Tija, H. D. 1966. Structural analysis of the pre-Tertiary of the Lokuloh area, central Java. Contributions of the Department of Geology no. 63, Institute of Technology Bandung. 110 pp.Google Scholar
Yamada, I. 1976. Forest-ecological studies of the Montane forest of Mt. Pangrango, West Java. III. Litter fall of the tropical montane forest near Cibodas. Southeast Asian Studies 14:193–229.Google Scholar
Wilm, H. G. 1943. Determining net rainfall under a conifer forest. Journal of Agricultural Research 67:501–512.Google Scholar