TAILIEUCHUNG - Litter decomposition of Picea orientalis, Pinus sylvestris and Castanea sativa trees grown in Artvin in relation to their initial litter quality variables

The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of the litter chemistry of spruce (Picea orientalis), pine (Pinus sylvestris) and chestnut (Castanea sativa) grown in the Artvin region on their decomposition rates. Freshly fallen litters from these species were analysed for total carbon, nitrogen, lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose. | Turk J Agric For 27 (2003) 237-243 © TÜB‹TAK Litter Decomposition of Picea orientalis, Pinus sylvestris and Castanea sativa Trees Grown in Artvin in Relation to Their Initial Litter Quality Variables Temel SARIYILDIZ* Kafkas Üniversitesi, Artvin Orman Fakültesi, 08000, Artvin - TURKEY Received: Abstract: The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of the litter chemistry of spruce (Picea orientalis), pine (Pinus sylvestris) and chestnut (Castanea sativa) grown in the Artvin region on their decomposition rates. Freshly fallen litters from these species were analysed for total carbon, nitrogen, lignin, cellulose and hemicellulose. The litterbag technique was used to determine their mass loss in the field for 2 years. At intervals of 6, 12, 18 and 24 months, 5 litterbags of each species were collected and returned to the laboratory and then analysed for their mass losses. The results showed that differences in mass losses for the 3 tree species were significant for all sampling intervals. Final mean mass losses were for spruce, for pine and for chestnut (increments of , and compared to the initial mass losses at 6 months respectively). Initial lignin concentration was the best predictor (r2 = ) for mass losses from litter species, indicating the relative importance of the initial lignin concentration of these 3 species in affecting their decomposition rates and hence the nutrient cycling process in this forest ecosystem. Key Words: Decomposition, forest ecosystem, litter quality, lignin, Artvin Artvin’de Yetiflen Picea orientalis, Pinus sylvestris ve Castanea sativa Türlerinin Yapraklar›n›n Ayr›flmas›nda Kimyasal Bileflimlerinin Etkisi Özet: Bu çal›flmada, Artvin’de yetiflen ladin (Picea orientalis), sar›çam (Pinus sylvestris) ve kestane (Castanea sativa) yapraklar›n›n kimyasal bileflimlerinin ayr›flma oranlar› üzerine olan etkisi belirlenmeye çal›fl›lm›flt›r. Bu amaçla, ilk önce orman yüzeyine .

• Nông nghiệp
• Chestnut Castanea sativa grown
• Picea orientalis
• Forest ecosystem
• Nutrient cycling
• Artvin region
• Chestnut Castanea sativa Mill
• Quantity of chestnuts produced
• Weighted rankit method
• Chestnut genotypes
• Overall fruit quality