@article{fdi:010046235,
  title = {{C}hanges in eucalypt litter quality during the first three months of field decomposition in a {C}ongolese plantation},
  author = {{N}gao, {J}{\'e}r{\^o}me and {B}ernhard {R}eversat, {F}rance and {L}oumeto, {J}. {J}.},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{I}n fast-growing tree plantations, decomposition of leaf litter is considered as a key process of soil fertility. {A} three-month field experiment, spanning both rainy and dry seasons, was conducted to determine how changes in litter decomposition affect the main parameters of litter quality-namely, the concentrations of phenolic and non-phenolic carbon ({C}) compounds, nitrogen ({N}), and fibres, and the litter {C} mineralization rate. {T}his {S}tudy was conducted to test (1) if these changes vary according to the {C}ompound and to the season, and if they are greater for soluble compounds, and (2) if after a three-month period of field decomposition, the chemical composition of the remaining litter drives {C} mineralization, as measured in laboratory conditions, through a greater influence on the concentration of {N} and lignin. {W}e found that the concentrations of water- and methanol-soluble phenolic compounds and the concentrations of non-phenolic compounds decreased during decomposition in all plots and in each season, while the fibre and {N} concentrations increased. {T}he relationships among litter decomposition, {C} mineralization, and litter quality depended on the season, which strongly suggests that different processes are involved in dry and rainy seasons. {T}he {C} mineralization rates were driven by soluble organic {C}ompounds in the initial litter and by soluble phenolic compounds in the decomposed litter.},
  keywords = {{D}ecomposition ; {E}ucalyptus ; {L}ignin ; {L}itter quality ; {S}oluble phenolic compounds},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{A}pplied {S}oil {E}cology},
  volume = {42},
  numero = {3},
  pages = {191--199},
  ISSN = {0929-1393},
  year = {2009},
  DOI = {10.1016/j.apsoil.2009.03.008},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010046235},
}