Decomposition of the Rubber Tree Hevea brasiliensis Litter at Two Depths

Gréggio, Thiago Claudino; Assis, Luiz Carlos; Nahas, Ely

doi:10.4067/s0718-58392008000200002

Cited by 7 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 34 publications

(44 reference statements)

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“…Relatively low C:N ratios (< 100 in the whole plant) and lignin contents (30% of the dry matter) have been measured in rubber trees compared to other perennial crops (Nizami et al 2014). As a result, the decomposition rate is high, as measured by Gréggio et al (2008), and nutrient release is expected to rapidly benefit young rubber trees. The amounts of nutrients returned to the soil at harvest depend on the stocks contained in the tree biomass left on site.…”

Section: Phenology and Associated Qualitative Changes In Growth Dynamicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nutrient management of immature rubber plantations. A review

Vrignon-Brenas

Gay

Ricard

et al. 2019

Agron. Sustain. Dev.

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The rapid expansion of rubber tree plantations in recent decades has been accompanied by dramatic negative ecological and social impacts. Rubber sector stakeholders consequently engaged in sustainable production of rubber. Despite the lack of harvest during the immature stage following planting, this period plays a key role in future yields. Management practices, particularly fertilization regimes, are used by farmers to shorten the immature period as much as possible. This entails maintaining or even improving the productivity of existing plantations to face the demand for natural rubber. This review focuses specifically on the immature period of rubber tree plantations, as it is the most critical period for nutrient management. We reviewed available knowledge on fertilization practices, soil management, and nutrient dynamics in rubber plantations with the goal of developing a nutrient balance approach for this crop. Our review revealed (1) a notable difference between fertilizer recommendations made by technical institutes and those reported in the scientific literature; (2) that even though nutrient diagnostic methods could help growers adapt the fertilization of rubber trees more than 3 years of age, further studies are needed to adapt current methods to the wide range of cultivation areas; and (3) that the nutrient budget approach may be the best way to incorporate the variety of rubber tree cultivation conditions. In conclusion, the nutrient budget method is a promising way to improve the sustainability of rubber plantations through fertilization making it possible to increase nutrient use efficiency. A comprehensive approach based on nutrient budgets requires further in-depth studies to examine nutrient dynamics in a wide range of conditions, including intercropping and logging residue management between clearcutting and replanting.

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Section: Phenology and Associated Qualitative Changes In Growth Dynamicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nutrient management of immature rubber plantations. A review

Vrignon-Brenas

Gay

Ricard

et al. 2019

Agron. Sustain. Dev.

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“…The large amount of soil litter allows the maintenance of soil moisture (Chaudhuri et al 2013), and also provides food sources for the mites. The increase in soil water content and decreasing polyphenol and lignin content with the increasing age of rubber plantations (Chaudhuri et al 2013) would enhance the decomposition process and restitution of nutrients in soil (Gréggio et al 2008). The larger abundance of soil mites in the 25-year-old rubber plantations was due to the high occurrence of Oribatid species.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Edaphic characteristics and environmental impact of rubber tree plantations on soil mite (Acari) communities

et al. 2018

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The objective of the investigation was to determine the response of different taxa of mites across the land use types and demonstrate that soil mites could be used as an indicator of environmental change after the conversion of secondary forests into rubber plantations. The sampling was performed during the dry season on 12 sampling areas, consisting of four land use types: secondary forests, 7-year-old rubber plantations, 12-year-old rubber plantations, and 25-year-old rubber plantations, with three replications of each treatment. Soil cores were sampled along a 40 m transect with a steel corer. The soil mites were extracted using modified Berlese-Tullgren funnels during a 10 day period. Soil physico-chemical parameters were measured on each sampling area. The conversion of secondary forests into rubber plantations was characterized by a modification of the mean values of mite density (+103 and +262%), species richness (-11 and +32%), water content (-41 and -5%), bulk density (+6 and -3%) and soil organic carbon (-73 and -59%) respectively, after 7 and 25 years of conversion. The density of mites, species richness and soil water content increased with the aging of the rubber plantations, demonstrating an improvement in soil ecological quality and environmental conditions. These results are confirmed by the values of the Maturity Index of Gamasid mites, which increased with the increasing age of rubber plantations. In other words, the severity of environmental impact decreased with the aging of the rubber plantations and was ranked as follows: 25-year-old rubber plantations < secondary forest < 12-year-old rubber plantations < 7-year-old rubber plantations. The Maturity Indexes estimated that 25-year-old rubber plantations (0.84) and in secondary forests (0.74) are relatively similar and characterize stable habitats, which are potentially dominated by Gamasid species with K selection.

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“…In a 25-year-old rubber plantation in Ivory Coast, annual returns through litter fall amounted to 5.1 t ha − 1 yr− 1 (N'Dri et al, 2018). Litter decomposition results in substantial nutrient fluxes, which are decisive for the productivity of rubber plantations (Gréggio et al, 2008;Jessy et al, 2009). Further studies are needed for rubber trees to ascertain to what extent the nutrients released from leaf decomposition participate in nutrient accumulation within tree biomass.…”

Section: Influence Of the Fertilization Regime And Soil Conditions Onmentioning

confidence: 99%

Dynamics of biomass and nutrient accumulation in rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) plantations established on two soil types: Implications for nutrient management over the immature phase

Perron

Mareschal

Laclau

et al. 2021

Industrial Crops and Products

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Rubber trees are the main source of natural rubber (NR). The area occupied by rubber plantations rose from 3.9 million ha in 1961 to 12.5 million ha in 2018. Both the expansion of rubber plantations in marginal zones (prone to biotic and abiotic stress), and long-term rubber tree cultivation in traditional areas, raise questions about the sustainability of NR production in a context of climate change. Our study set out to gain insights into the biogeochemical cycles in rubber plantations, for a better matching of fertilizer inputs to the dynamics of nutrient demand throughout rubber tree growth. Nutrient accumulation in tree biomass is a major component of the biological cycle in tree plantations. We studied the dynamics of biomass and nutrient accumulation in two chronosequences covering the whole lifespan of a plantation in Ivory Coast managed on a sandy soil at the SAPH site, and one on a clayey soil at the SOGB site. In total, 56 trees were destructively sampled in 2-, 5-, 20-and roughly 40-year-old stands. While the use of allometric relationships is common for estimating nutrient stocks in planted forests, this study was the first to provide allometric equations predicting nutrient stocks in rubber tree components. Allometric models were applied to the inventory of 4 commercial stands, for each age at each site, to estimate stand biomass and nutrient stocks. The current annual increments of nutrient stocks in tree biomass peaked between 2 and 5 years after planting. They reached 80 kg ha-1 yr-1 for N, 14 kg ha-1 yr-1 for P and 34 kg ha-1 yr-1 for K at SAPH (53, 7, and 39 kg ha-1 yr-1 respectively at SOGB), which highlighted the importance of an appropriate fertilization schedule for young rubber trees. At the clear-cut age (38-40 years), the amounts of nutrients accumulated in tree biomass were 970 kg N ha-1 , 188 kg P ha-1 , 366 kg K ha-1 , 941 kg Ca ha-1 and 255 kg Mg ha-1 on the sandy soil at SAPH (907,118, 629 1499, and 375 kg ha-1 respectively on the clayey soil at SOGB). Contrasting soil properties and management practices at the two sites had a much greater effect on the amounts of P, K, Ca and Mg accumulated in the trees than on N accumulation. Logging practices in rubber plantations can lead to considerable nutrient exports on poor tropical soils. Harvest residues should be distributed uniformly in the plots so that the roots of young trees can quickly gain access to the nutrients released during decomposition.

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Decomposition of the Rubber Tree Hevea brasiliensis Litter at Two Depths

Cited by 7 publications

References 34 publications

Nutrient management of immature rubber plantations. A review

Nutrient management of immature rubber plantations. A review

Edaphic characteristics and environmental impact of rubber tree plantations on soil mite (Acari) communities

Dynamics of biomass and nutrient accumulation in rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) plantations established on two soil types: Implications for nutrient management over the immature phase

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