ABSTRACT
Annual litter fall, the N, P, K, Ca and Mg content, litter decomposition rate and the nutrient use efficiency were studied in a deciduous seasonal forest, from ‘Serra Geral’ escarpments, in Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul state. The annual litter fall reached 7.76 t/ha, with leaf fraction representing 66% of the total. Spring was the most intensive litter fall and nutrient deposition season. This of nitrogen, 11,2 Kg/ha of phosphorus, 37,8 Kg/ha of potassium, 269.2 Kg/ha of calcium and 29.9 Kg/ha of magnesium. The mean forest floor mass was 6.7 t/ha, the instantaneous decomposition rate (K) was estimated to be 1.16 and the time necessary to decay 50% of the total litter was around 7 months. The nutrient use efficiency, given by the biomass/nutrient rate to the N, P, Ca and Mg elements was lesser than those verified for other Brazilians regions, showing that the primary productivity of the stand in not limited by the availability of the studied nutrients.
Key words:
deciduous seasonal forest; nutrient cycling; litter; decomposition; nutrient use efficiency