Evaluation of leaf litter nutrient composition, decomposition and releasing potential of Cordia africana, Terminalia brownie and Vitex doniana tree species.

The decline of soil fertility is the main threat for decreasing of agricultural production and productivity. To reduce this problem, managing and utilizing important resources obtained from multipurpose farmland trees are important to improve soil fertility in sustainable means. This study was designed to evaluate the composition, decomposition, and release of important soil nutrients of leaf litter in dominant farmland tree species. Decomposition of leafy litter was performed using litterbags at JARC in the main station to determine the decomposition rate of three-tree species leaf litter to understand the contribution of retained species on farmland for soil fertility improvement. The leaf litter of Cordia africana, Vitex doniana and Terminalia brownie, composed of 46.5%, 49.6%, and 49.7% organic carbon in amount, respectively. Cordia africana decomposed faster than Terminalia brownie and Vitex doniana. This study aimed to evaluate the issues concerning weight loss, decomposition rates, chemical composition, and important nutrients released from the leaf litter of the studied tree species. This study recommended that it is important to assess annually produced leaf litter resources and study species composition effect on decomposition and mineralization of organic biomass, and the association organisms with these processes in farming systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]