Management of Tropical Plantation Forests and their Soil Litter System Litter, Biota, and Soil Litter Dynamics

About this book

This book brings together recent advances in the research on the ecological functioning of the soil litter system of tropical plantation forests in relation to their management, which is of crucial importance for the growth of trees and sustainability of the ecosystem. This book includes contributions from internationally renowned researchers in the field, synthesizes considerable body of research available and provides adequate reference at the end of each article (chapter) for further reading. It should be of great value to and a resource book for environmental biologists, ecologists, soil biologists, soil scientists, plant ecologists, plantation managers, forest conservators, and many others with an interest in the tropics.

Contents

Introduction - perspective of soil-litter environment in tropical plantation forests in relation to litter, biota and nutrient dynamics, M. Vikram Reddy. Part 1 Litter dynamics: the litter system in African forest-tree plantations, F. Bernhard-Reversat and J.J. Loumeto; litter production and nutrient dynamics in tropical forest plantations of India, J.S. Samra and A. Raizada; tropical plantations with native trees - their function in ecosystem restoration, F. Montagnini; comparative nutrient dynamics with particular reference to litter fall in "Hevea" rubber plantations and lowland tropical rain forests in Asia, I.A.U. Nimal Gunatilleke. Part 2 Biotic dynamics: litter layer dynamics and soil microbial biomass in reforested areas after degradation by bauxite mining in eastern Amazon, Enir S. Costa et al; litter and microbial dynamcis in relation to nutrient cycling in oil-palm ("Elaies guineenis" jacq) ecosystem, N.O. Aisueni and C.E. Airede; decomposition dynamics and nutrient flow in pine forest plantation in central Java, H.A. Verhoef and B. Gunadi; tree plantation and community structure and function of beneficial macro- and micro arthropods of soil litter system, M. Vikram Reddy; tree performance, soil plant-litter characteristics, and faunal activities in some tropical plantations, F.K. Akinnifesi et al; earthworms in tropical tree-plantations - effects of management and relations with soil carbon and nutrient use efficiency, X. Zou and G. Gonzalez. Part 3 Soil-nutrient dynamics: "eucalyptus" plantations in Brazil - their soil nutrient dynamics and management, A. Spangenberg and H. Folster; nitrogen fixing leguminous trees in forestry and agroforestry systems, D.L.N. Rao; nutrient flux control by trees for soil fertility improvement in tropical agroforestry, J. Lehmann; accretion of carbon and nutrients in the forest floor and mineral soil of "Casuarina equisetifolia" plantations the coastal sand dunes of Senegal, D. Mailly and H.A. Margolis.

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