Sustainable Management Technique for Recalcitrant Leaf Litter of Mesua Ferrea L. in Avenue Plantations

Avenue plantation produces a significant amount of leaf litter throughout the year, and sustainable management is a primary concern in various establishments. Mesua ferrea L. (MF) is a widely grown avenue tree species that produces enormous amounts of leaf litter throughout the year. The litter remains undecomposed in natural conditions for a long time (2-3 years), requiring labour-intensive management. The rate of decomposition, nutrient dynamics and microbial species involved in the decomposition process has been studied by the modified litterbag method in natural conditions using intact and shredded MF leaf litter. The results of the study revealed 50% biomass loss from intact and shredded MF leaf litter within 120 days as compared to the negligible biomass loss in the control treatment. The percentage of nutrients released followed the same pattern as biomass loss for intact and shredded MF samples. The decay constant values were observed as 1.99, 1.92 and 0.33 for shredded, intact and control treatments, respectively. Penicillium with 12 isolates was recorded as the most dominant cellulose-degrading fungi during the decomposition of MF leaf litter. The study observed that the embedding of shredded MF leaf litter in soil significantly reduced the time required for the decomposition of litter. It is concluded that embedding shredded MF leaf litter in the soil can enhance rapid decomposition while improving soil fertility. The proposed technique may be employed in the sustainable management of MF leaf litter in particular and other litter in general.