Litter Decomposition of Two Kiwifruit Cultivars (‘Jinkui’ and ‘Hort-16A’) with Different Litter Qualities in the Orchard Ecosystem

Yupeng Lu, Zhu Gao, Jipeng Mao, Mengfei Lin, Xuchen Gong and Xiaoling Wang ()
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Yupeng Lu: Institute of Biological Resources, Jiangxi Academy of Sciences, Nanchang 330096, China
Zhu Gao: Institute of Biological Resources, Jiangxi Academy of Sciences, Nanchang 330096, China
Jipeng Mao: Institute of Biological Resources, Jiangxi Academy of Sciences, Nanchang 330096, China
Mengfei Lin: Institute of Biological Resources, Jiangxi Academy of Sciences, Nanchang 330096, China
Xuchen Gong: Institute of Biological Resources, Jiangxi Academy of Sciences, Nanchang 330096, China
Xiaoling Wang: Institute of Biological Resources, Jiangxi Academy of Sciences, Nanchang 330096, China

Agriculture, 2023, vol. 13, issue 10, 1-17

Abstract: The aim of this study was to reveal the decomposition differences of kiwifruit litters with different qualities and verify the “Initial Litter Quality Hypothesis”. This study took litters of ‘Jinkui’ and ‘Hort-16A’ kiwifruit as the research objects, and carried out in situ decomposition experiments. The decomposition rate, nutrients release process, and soil enzyme activities were analyzed. In this study, the litter of ‘Hort-16A’ kiwifruit decomposed faster than the litter of ‘Jinkui’ kiwifruit. The decomposition time was positively correlated with the initial concentration of C of the litters, but negatively correlated with the concentrations of N and P. Except for P and Mn, the dynamic trends of the nutrient concentrations were similar during the litter decomposition of ‘Jinkui’ and ‘Hort-16A’ kiwifruit. After 180 days of decomposition, about 85%~95% of the initial concentrations of the macro-elements of the ‘Hort-16A’ kiwifruit litter were released. The dynamic trends of protease activities were similar, but that of sucrase, β-1,4-glucosidase, polyphenol oxidase, and phosphatase were different. In conclusion, the litter quality of kiwifruit affects the decomposition rate, and the difference in decomposition rate in turn affects the dynamic processes of nutrient release and soil enzyme activity. This study provides evidence for the “Initial Litter Quality Hypothesis” in the orchard ecosystem.

Keywords: litter quality; kiwifruit; decomposition process; nutrients; soil enzymes (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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