Biomass and nutritional stock of litter in crop-livestock-forest integration system in brazilian Cerrado

The litter comprises the bed of debris that accumulates on the soil of forest ecosystems.Several biotic and abiotic factors influence the production of serapilheira, however, little is known about the contribution of the biomass of serapilheira to the nutritional stock only in consortium plantations.The objective of this study was to identify the accumulated litter biomass production and its nutrient contents from intercropping in a crop-livestock-forest integration system (CLFS) of three years of age.Litter accumulated between rows and between plants was collected in the dry and rainy periods.For all the samples, the dry mass and nutritional content were determined.The total average litter biomass production was 17.9 Mg ha-.However, there was a difference among the seasons, and the greatest accumulation occurred during the dry season, as explained by the water stress of the given period.On the other hand, the nutrients did not present any difference between the periods or sites collected.The highest accumulated biomass was obtained in the dry season, and the leaves were the most representative fraction.The contribution of macronutrient storage to the litter followed in the following order: Ca>N>Mg>K>P>S.In micronutrients, it followed: Fe>Mn>B>Zn>Cu.Thus, the stock of litter is of great importance for nutrient cycling in crop-livestock-forest integration system in Brazilian Cerrado.