Diallo M. D. auteur aut IRD Guisse A. auteur aut IRD Badiane Niane A. auteur aut IRD Sall S. auteur aut IRD Chotte Jean-Luc auteur aut IRD text journalArticle eng Soil nitrogen mineralization patterns were investigated under field conditions in the presence of five leaf litters of different qualities, Faidherbia albida, Aradirachta indica, Andropogon gayanus, Casuarina equisetifolia, and Eragrostis tremula. The experimentation was conducted in a tropical sandy soil in central Senegal over 12 months. No relationship could be drawn between litter quality (N content, cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin) and N mineralization during this field experimentation. By contrast, the presence of the litter modified the soil N cycle. At all sampling dates, the patterns of N mineralization were most high in litter amendment. The content Of mineral N was highest in Casuarina I equisetifolia amendment (17.03 mu g N g(-1) soil in November 2000, and 28.53 mu g N g(-1) soil in March 2001). Soil incubated in the absence of the different litters exhibited a different pattern of N mineralization. Net mineralization was observed it-hen the soil had been previously submitted to the influence of Casuarina equisetifolia (4.87 mu g N g(-1) soil), while net immobilization was observed in the case of Aradirachta indica (8.13 mu g N g(-1) soil). specialized ammonium Casuarina Faidherbia decomposition immobilizations nitrates nitrification 074 068 19 2 173-181 2005 1532-4982 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/PAR00000204 10.1080/15324980590916576 1532-4982 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/PAR00000204 IRD - Base Horizon / Pleins textes 2006-03-29 2017-08-23 PAR00000204 fre