Agroforestry Systems 63: 2732, 2004.

2004 Kluwer Academic Publishers. Printed in the Netherlands.

27

Decomposition of Erythrina poeppigiana leaves in 3-, 9-, and 18-year-old

alleycropping systems in Costa Rica
Oelbermann M.1,*, Voroney R.P.2, Schlnvoigt A.M.3,4 and Kass D.C.L.5,6
1

Department of Earth Sciences, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1; 2Department of Land
Resource Science, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1 Canada; 3Area de Cuencas y Sistemas
Agroforestales, CATIE Apdo 7170, Turrialba, Costa Rica; 4Current address: GFA Terra Systems, Latin
America Division, Eulenkrugstrasse 82, 22359 Hamburg, Germany; 5Area de Cuencas y Sistemas
Agroforestales, CATIE Apdo 7170, Turrialba, Costa Rica; 6Current address: Northeast Regional Laboratory,
Food and Drug Administration, Department of Health and Human Services, 158-15 Liberty Avenue, Jamaica,
NY 11433, dclk9@hotmail.com; *Author for correspondence (phone: (519) 888-4567 Ext. 6495; fax: (519)
746-7484; e-mail: moelberm@sciborg.uwaterloo.ca)
Received 4 October 2002; accepted in revised form 15 September 2003

Key words: Arachis pintoi, Chicken manure, Litterbags, Soil cultivation, Mulching

Abstract
Timing the application of organic residues and therefore the release of nutrients during decomposition may be
critical to the growing crop in tropical alleycropping agroforestry systems. Field experiments were carried out in
Turrialba, Costa Rica, to determine differences in Erythrina poeppigiana Walp. O.F. Cook leaf decomposition
in 3, 9 and 18-year alleycropped agroforestry systems. Treatments consisted of mulch-only, and mulch plus Arachis pintoi Krapov. and W. Gregory var. CIAT 18347 in 3 and 9-year old alleycrops under no-till cultivation. The
18-year old site consisted of treatments with mulch-only and mulch plus chicken manure under disk plow cultivation. Litterbags, filled with E. poeppigiana leaves from 3, 9 and 18-year old trees, were placed on the soil
surface and collected over a period of 84 days. Results showed no significant differences in the amount of plant
residues remaining after 84 days in the 3-, 9-, and 18-year-old systems, or between the manure and mulch-only
treatments. Comparing mulch-only treatments, leaves in the 18-year old system decomposed most rapidly which
may be due to disk-plow cultivation practices where litterbags were in direct contact with the soil as opposed to
the no-till system in the younger alleycrops.

Introduction
Maintenance of soil fertility in tropical latitudes traditionally occurred through fallow periods Kass and
Somarriba 1999. However, increasing population
pressures and demands for agricultural products have
resulted in shortened fallow periods and soil organic
matter SOM depletion Vanlauwe et al. 1997. In
Costa Rica, traditional fallows were replaced by conventional sole crop practices more than 15 years ago
resulting in a rapid decline of soil productivity
Schlnvoigt, pers. com. 1999.

Several authors Budelman 1988; Nair 1993;

Matta-Machado et al. 1994; Young 1997; Tian 1998
have stressed the benefits of agroforestry systems,
like alleycropping, to conserve SOM. Sustenance of
SOM in these systems occurs through the addition of
tree prunings that are either incorporated as green
manure or placed on top of the soil surface as mulch.
Planting tree species with high biomass production,
and rich in foliar and branch nutrient content can play
a major role in maintaining levels of SOM in alleycropping systems Young 1997.

28
A comprehensive knowledge of organic matter decomposition and nutrient release patterns from tree
prunings maximizes soil sustainability and crop productivity Mugendi et al. 1999. Several studies have
investigated the benefits of mulching in tropical
alleycropping systems. For example, Kwabiah et al.
2000 studied organic residue quality parameters in
Kenya and noted that the release of nutrients such as
N and P was related to the rate of decomposition. In
a separate study Kwabiah et al. 1999 found that the
addition of inorganic fertilizers had little effect on
decomposition rates when plant material was high in
N and P.
Several studies have determined rates of mulch decomposition in tropical agroforestry systems Budelman 1988; Matta-Machado et al. 1994; Henrot and
Brussard 1997; Tian 1998; Mugendi et al. 1999; Isaac
et al. 2000; Kwabiah et al. 1999; Kwabiah et al.
2000. However, few studies Quinlan 1984 pers.
com.; Palm and Snchez 1990; Aranguren et al. 1992;
Haggar et al. 1993 have determined decomposition
of Erythrina poeppigiana Walp. O.F. Cook, a common multipurpose agroforestry tree species in Central
America. To date, no study has integrated E. poeppigiana mulch decomposition and its relation to varying land-management practices in tropical alleycropping systems. The objective of this study is to
examine the rate of decomposition of E. poeppigiana
leaves from 3, 9 and 18-year old trees in Costa Rican
alleycropping systems under various land management practices such as soil cultivation, N2-fixing
groundcovers and the application of manure over the
short-term.

The 18-year old alleycropping system encompasses

E. poeppigiana hedgerows, planted at a density of
555 trees ha1, and cropped biannually with maize
Zea mays L. and beans Phaseolus vulgaris L. var.
Hueasteco. Trees in this system were managed by
complete shoot pruning, and prunings were added to
the soil as mulch before the seeding of each crop.
This system was managed using two different treatments: mulch-only from tree prunings MUL-18, and
chicken manure in addition to mulch from tree prunings CM. Additions of chicken manure occurred at
a rate of 150 kg N ha1 y1 and plots were disk
plowed before each crop establishment in May and
November.
The 3 and 9-year old alleycrops were located
within 500 m of the 18-year old system. In these systems, trees of E. poeppigiana were planted at a density of 833 trees ha1 and cropped biannually with
maize and beans using two different treatments:
mulch-only from tree prunings MUL-3 and MUL-9,
and Arachis pintoi Krapov. and W. Gregory var. CIAT
18347 in addition to mulch from tree prunings
ARA-3 and ARA-9. Arachis pintoi was grown as a
groundcover in association with bean and maize
crops.
Before each pruning event and crop seeding, A.
pintoi was cut to a height of 5 cm and the cuttings
were left on the soil surface. This site has received
no mineral fertilizer over a 10-year period and has
been under no-till cultivation since 1997. Trees in this
system were managed by complete shoot pruning, and
prunings were added to the soil as mulch before the
seeding of each crop.

Study Site

Materials and Methods

La Montaa is one of the on-site agroforestry research

stations managed by the Centro Agronmico Tropical
de Investigacin y Enzeansa CATIE located 3.5
km NE of Turrialba, Costa Rica. Turrialba 953'N,
8838'W is located 602 m above sea level in the
Central Valley of Costa Rica. The area has an average annual temperature of 21.7 C and an average
annual precipitation of 2648 mm with 246 rain days
per year. The soils at La Montaa are classified as an
isohyperthermic Eutric Cambisol Kass et al. 1995.
The soil texture is clay-loam consisting of 25% sand,
34% silt and 41% clay to a depth of 15 cm Kass et
al. 1995.

Decomposition of E. poeppigiana leaves was determined over 84 days from September to November
2000 within each alleycropping system. Fresh green
leaves, including petioles, from each tree age group
were collected on the day of litterbag placement.
Oven-dry leaves were not used due to the risk of their
rapid disintegration during the first major rainfall
event, which may lead to accelerated rates of decomposition Kass 2000 pers. com. Use of fresh leaves
is also more representative of natural decay processes
when tree prunings are applied to the soil surface as
mulch.
A total of 24 g of fresh E. poeppigiana leaves from
3, 9 and 18-year old trees were placed in 0.20 0.20

29
Table 1. Initial nutrient concentration, nutrient ratios and input from mulch residue of E. poeppigiana leaves1, A. pintoi2 and chicken manure3
in three tropical alley cropping systems at La Montaa, Turrialba Costa Rica.
Age of Tree yr.

Treatment

Mulch Residue Input kg ha1 %

C %

N %

C:N Leaves.

18
9
3
A. pintoi
4
Chicken Manure

MUL-18
MUL-9
MUL-3

4167
1448
1603
1130
2760

45.9
46.1
47.6
42.2
N.A.

5.3
5.1
5.1
2.2
2.3

8.7
9.0
9.3
19.2

n5; 2n5; 3n3; 42.48% P, 2.81% K, 0.95% Mg and 10.17% Ca CATIE, 1998.

m nylon litterbags with a 2-mm mesh size. A total of

six litterbags, spaced 0.50 m apart, were placed along
a transect on the soil surface. Each transect was replicated four times 0.50 m spacing for each tree age
group and treatment ARA-3, ARA-9, CM, MUL3,
MUL-9, MUL-18. The handling and placement of
each litterbag with E. poeppigiana leaves within each
treatment was the same. A total of four litterbags per
treatment were collected on days 14, 28, 42, 56, 70
and 84.
At the same time as litterbag placement, A. pintoi
was sampled randomly using five replications within
in ARA-3 and ARA-9 treatments in order to
determine C and N content of this groundcover species. A set of leaves 5 replications for each tree age
group was collected to determine moisture and nutrient content 48 hrs at 70 C. All samples were
ground in a Wiley Mill with a 1-mm screen and analyzed for C on a LECO Furnace LECO, St. Joseph,
MI using a dry combustion method LECO Corporation 1987. Total N was determined using a Tracemass Isotope Ratio Spectrometer Europa Scientific,
Crewe, UK.
At each retrieval date, litterbag contents were carefully examined and all foreign material including soil
particles and leaves from weeds and crops were removed. Soil was removed by brushing and briefly
rinsing the leaves with distilled water Anderson and
Ingram 1993. The remaining E. poeppigiana residue
was dried for 48 hrs at 70 C. Dried leaves were
weighed and recorded as residue remaining and expressed as a percentage of the initial dry weight. Due
to the small amounts of plant material remaining in
litterbags at each collection, samples could not be
analyzed for C and N.
The data were expressed as % residue remaining
and fitted to a single exponential model Equation 1.
The single exponential model assumes that all plant
tissue decomposes at the same rate where Wt is the

percent of residue dry weight remaining at time t

days and k is the decomposition rate constant.
Wt 100 e-kt

Equation 1

Foliar biomass data were examined for homogeneity of variance and normality. Data were analyzed using the SPSS SPSS Science Inc. 1989 non-linear
regression function to determine k-values, and a t-test
was used to compare differences in rates of leaf decay and half lives between treatments within each age
group Steel et al. 1997.

Results
Initial nutrient concentrations and nutrient ratios of E.
poeppigiana leaves from the various tree age groups
and of A. pintoi and chicken manure are presented in
Table 1. After 84 days, the 3-year old alleycropping
system with A. pintoi ARA-3 had 25% of its residue remaining compared to 38% in the MUL-3 treatment Figure 1a. A similar pattern was observed for
the 9-year old system, however only 25% of the residue remained after 84 days in treatment ARA-9 compared to 26% in the MUL-9 treatment Figure 1b.
For both 3 and 9-year old alleycropping systems, the
amount of residue remaining at day 84 was not significantly different p 0.05 between mulch-only
and A. pintoi treatments.
The amount of leaf material remaining after 84
days in the 18-year old system with chicken manure
CM was 17%, whereas the MUL-18 treatment had
a slightly higher 19%, but not significantly different
p 0.05, amount of material remaining Figure 1c.
When comparing mulch-only treatments between the
three leaf age groups MUL-3, MUL-9 and MUL-18,
the amount of residue remaining was lowest in the

30
Table 2. Decay rate constant k values and half lives of E. poeppigiana leaves in 3, 9 and 18-year old alley cropping systems using various land management practices at La Montaa, Turrialba,
Costa Rica.
Treatment

k day1

t days1

r2

ARA-3
MUL-3
ARA-9
MUL-9
CM
MUL-18

0.017
0.012
0.015
0.012
0.017
0.017

41A
58B
46A
58B
41A
41A

0.98
0.99
0.89
0.86
0.78
0.81

Half lives t days, n4 between treatments and within age

groups with the same upper case letter are not significantly different at p 0.05; Treatment Descriptions: ARA-3: Arachis pintoiin
addition to mulch from 3-year old E. poeppigiana; MUL-3:
Mulch-only from 3-year old E. poeppigiana; ARA-9: Arachis pintoiin addition to mulch from 9-year old E. poeppigiana; MUL-9:
Mulch-only from 9-year old E. poeppigiana; CM: Chicken manure
in addition to mulch from 18-year old E. poeppigiana; MUL-18:
Mulch only from 18-year old E. poeppigiana.

treatments were 41 days Table 2. For all treatments,

half-lives were significantly greater p 0.05 in the
MUL-3 and MUL-9 treatments compared to those in
ARA-3 and ARA-9. Half-lives between MUL-18 and
CM were not significantly different p 0.05.

Discussion

Figure 1. a Biomass remaining of 3-year old E. poeppigiana

leaves after 84 days in treatments amended with mulch-only
MUL-3 n4 or A. pintoi in addition to mulch ARA-3 n4
at La Montaa, Turrialba, Costa Rica. b) Biomass remaining of
9-year old E. poeppigiana leaves after 84 days in treatments
amended with mulch-only MUL-9 n4 or A. pintoi in addition
to mulch ARA-9 n4 at La Montaa, Turrialba, Costa Rica. c)
Biomass remaining of 18-year old E. poeppigiana leaves after 84
days in treatments amended with mulch-only MUL-18 n4 or
with Chicken manure in addition to mulch CM-18 n4 at La
Montaa, Turrialba, Costa Rica.

18-year old alleycrop followed by the 9 and 3-year

old alleycrops.
Half lives of the decaying leaves for MUL-3 and
MUL-9 treatments were 58 days, whereas ARA-3 and
ARA-9 treatments had a half-life of 41 and 46 days,
respectively Table 2. For the 18-year old alleycropping system, half-lives for either MUL-18 and CM

The similar amount of residue remaining in ARA-3

and ARA-9 treatments may have resulted from a
blanketing effect of A. pintoi in combination with notill cultivation practices, preventing direct exposure of
litterbags to the soil surface. Aguilar 1993 pers.
com. reported that varying mulch thickness from
weeds or applied residue, in a Nicaraguan coffee
plantation, created a blanket for falling leaves
preventing them from direct contact with the soil surface and rapid breakdown.
Since the addition of mulch occurred in both CM
and MUL-18 treatments within the 18-year old alleycropping system, soil nutrient status may have been
sufficient enough to decompose the mulch efficiently
without the need for an external nutrient source
Table 1. This would explain the lack of a significant
difference in the rate of leaf decomposition between
CM and MUL-18 treatments in the 18-year old system. Additionally, the amount of nutrients in the plant
material may also have been sufficient enough to decompose leaves rapidly without the need for an ex-

31
Table 3. Rate constants and half lives of E. poeppigiana in tropical environments using the single exponential decay model.
Source

Location

Precip. mm

Temp C

Tree Species

Rate Constant k/day

Half Life tdays

This Study MUL-18

This Study MUL-9
Haggar et al. 1993
Palm and Sanchez 1990
Quinlan 1984 pers. comm.
Aranguren et al. 1982

Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Peru
Costa Rica
Venezuela

2200
2200
2200
2200
2200
1200

21.7
21.7
21.7
26.0
21.7
20.0

E.
E.
E.
E.
E.
E.

0.017
0.012
0.008
0.010
0.020
0.010

41
58
86
69
35
69

ternal nutrient source and as such not limited by the

rate of decomposition Table 1.
Green manure or mulch with a lower C/N ratio decomposes rapidly and affects soil physical and
biological properties, increasing overall crop yield
NDayegamiye and Sen Tran 2001. In this study, the
observed C/N ratio of E. poeppigiana leaves is low,
which likely resulted in a rapid breakdown of the
readily decomposable fraction Table 1.
Soil cultivation practices may also have affected
rates of leaf breakdown between younger alleycrops
3 and 9-year that were managed by no-till cultivation compared to the 18-year old system managed by
disk plowing. Plowing in the 18-year old system resulted in a direct contact of leaves with the soil surface thereby enhancing decomposition processes due
to differences in soil moisture and temperature. Compared to the 3 and 9-year old system, leaves were
protected from a layer of organic material due to notill cultivation and the A. pintoi groundcover.
The objective of this study was to characterize the
half-lives of the readily decomposable fraction over
the short-term, and as such a single pool model described the decay kinetics of this study sufficiently.
Others have also used a single pool model to describe
the readily decomposable fraction of multipurpose
agroforestry trees over the short-term Budelman
1988; Vanlauwe et al. 1997; Kwabiah et al. 1999.
The two-pool model, while conceptually describing
more accurately the kinetics of residue decay, is not
appropriate for this short-term study. The authors of
this study suggest that to obtain data for the two-pool
model, long-term studies of at least one year are recommended in order to obtain a significant number of
data points.
Rate constant values from this study, compared to
other studies with Erythrina species were similar
Table 3. Quinlan 1984 pers. comm. studied E.
poeppigiana leaf breakdown in a Costa Rican
mulched alleycropping system and determined a
k-value of 0.02 day1. Palm and Snchez 1990 stud-

poeppigiana
poeppigiana
poeppigiana
poeppigiana
poeppigiana
poeppigiana

ied leaf decomposition of various Erythrina species

and determined k-values similar to those of this study.
A previous investigation by Haggar et al. 1993, using mulch-only treatments, in the currently 18-year
old alleycropping system, determined a k-value of
0.008 day1 in the alleycrop compared to 0.0183
day1 in a sole crop. The slightly lower k-value determined by Haggar et al. 1993 compared to this
study may have been due to the inclusion of lignified
E. poeppigiana branches, which may have increased
the overall C/N ratio and thereby lowered the rate of
decomposition.
Based on mulch input Table 1, the contribution
of this organic material to stable SOM is greatest for
the 18-year 376 kg C ha1 old system, although the
rate of decay is similar between all three systems. The
mature system stabilized over twice the amount of C
compared to the 9 175 kg C ha1 and 3-year 293
kg C ha1 old mulch-only alleycropping systems
with input from E. poeppigiana leaves.
The amount of N 179 kg N ha1 mineralized was
estimated to be the highest in the 18-year old system
followed by the 9-year 55 kg N ha1 and 3-year 50
kg N ha1 alleycropping systems in mulch-only
treatments. This estimation is based on the assumption that the rate of decay of N is similar to that of C
given the narrow C/N ratio of the mulch material. As
such, over 84 days of decomposition of E. poeppigiana leaves, 42 kg N ha1, 19 kg N ha1 and 32 kg N
ha1 for the 18, 9 and 3-year old systems, respectively, remains available for plant uptake. The greater
amount of N available for plant uptake and soil C sequestration in the 3-year old system, compared to the
9-year old system, is due to the greater biomass input
from the younger trees.

Conclusions and Recommendations

To date, limited data are available on the use of E.
poeppigiana mulch in tropical agroforestry systems,

32
especially as it relates to decomposition under the influence of various cultivation and land-management
methods in alleycrops, its role as a soil amendment
when used as mulch, and its influence on soil C.
However, results from this study have given an indication that high quality mulch materials like those
derived from E. poeppigiana leaves may continually
replenish the soil nutrient pool without the need for
applying external nutrients including manure or those
derived from groundcovers like A. pintoi.

Acknowledgements
We thank Francisco Nuez and Joaquin Soto for field
assistance; Alexis Prez for technical support, and
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council
of Canada for funding this research.

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