LITTER PRODUCTION AND NUTRIENTS IN AREA OF CAATINGA BIOME

ABSTRACT

Caatinga is one of the Brazilian biomes where the highest degradation rates are recorded. It is associated mainly to the removal of vegetation for energy production and practice of subsistence agriculture, causing interference in nutrient cycling. The aim of the study was to quantify and chemically analyze litter deposition in a fragment of Caatinga, located in the municipality of Pombal, Paraíba (PB) state. It was collected monthly for 12 months, and separated into different fractions (leaves, reproductive structures, branches and miscellaneous), all litter deposited on collectors of 1.0 m2, distributed systematically. The nutrients analyzed were N, P, K, Ca and Mg. The annual litter was of 3785.67 kg ha-1, predominantly composed of leaf fraction with 70.2%, followed by the fraction reproductive structures with 18.3%. The nutrient content in the leaf litter followed the order Ca> N> K> Mg> P. The nutrient content in the fractions vary according to time and there is evidence of their relationship with the rainfall. The deposition of litter coincided with the seasonal period of Caatinga.

Keywords:
litter production; organic waste; nutrient cycling