Abstract
Two forest associations, cohune palm (Cohune Ridge) and mixed tropical hardwood (High Bush), were assessed on the basis of nutrient movement and storage for their suitability for agriculture. Continuous monitoring of soil nitrogen and leaf litterfall over a one-year period provided information on soil building processes in the forest fallow. Destructive cuts revealed the storage of 690 kg N ha-1 in the standing biomass of the Cohune forest versus 203 kg N ha-1 in the High Bush. Litter biomass was exceptionally high in the Cohune Ridge (497 kg ha-1 dry matter) as compared to the High Bush (65 kg ha-1 dry matter) and other tropical forests. This is probably because of a low rate of decomposition in the Cohune Ridge palm forest. A substantial reserve of nitrogen is present in both forests’ fallows, and this can in part be harvested by the small farmer for crop production.
Resumen
Dos asociaciones boscosas (Palma Cohune y Matorral Alto) se estudiaron en relaciĂłn a sus reservas y flujos de nutrimentos y sus posibilidades de aprovechamiento agrĂcola. Se siguiĂł la evoluciĂłn del nitrĂłgeno en el suelo y en la caida de hojarasca durante un año obteniĂ©ndose asi informaciĂłn sobre los procesos pedogenĂ©ticos en el barbecho del bosque.
A travĂ©s de muĂ©streos destructivos se encontrĂł que en la biomasa del bosque de Palma Cohune habĂan 690 kg N ha-1 y en el Matorral Alto solo 203 kg N ha-1. La biomasa de hojarasca era excepcionalmente alta en Palma Cohune alcanzando un valor de 497 kg materia seca ha-1; en el bosque de Matorral Alto la hojarasca era de 65 kg materia seca ha-1. Esto probablemente se deba a la baja velocidad de descomposiciĂłn en el caso de la palma.
Las reservas sustanciales encontradas en ambos barbechos para el nitrĂłgeno podrĂan ser parcialmente utilizadas para la producciĂłn agrĂcola campesina.
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© 1982 Martinus Nijhoff/Dr W. Junk Publishers, The Hague
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Arnason, J.T., Lambert, J.D.H. (1982). Nitrogen cycling in the seasonally dry forest zone of Belize, Central America. In: Robertson, G.P., Herrera, R., Rosswall, T. (eds) Nitrogen Cycling in Ecosystems of Latin America and the Caribbean. Developments in Plant and Soil Sciences, vol 6. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-7639-9_30
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-7639-9_30
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