[Decomposition of different plant litters in Loess Plateau of Northwest China]

Taking the litters of species Hippophae rhamnoides, Medicago sativa, Populus simonii, Robinia pseudoacaci, Salix psammophila, and Stipa bungeana in the Loess Plateau of Northeast China as test objects, and by using mesh bags, this paper studied the dynamic changes of the litters mass, carbon, and nitrogen during decomposition after buried in the field in semiarid region. The litters buried were from one, two, or three of the plant species, and mixed thoroughly with equal proportion of masses. During decomposition, the mass loss rate, total carbon and nitrogen release rates, and total soluble carbon and nitrogen contents of different litters were higher at the early than at the later decomposition stage. After 412 d decomposition, the average mass loss rate of the litters was in the order of mixed litters of three plant species > mixed litters of two plant species > one plant species litter. By the end of this experiment, the average release rates of the litter total carbon and nitrogen ranked as one plant species litter > mixed litters of two plant species > mixed litters of three plant species, the litter soluble organic carbon content was mixed litters of two plant species > mixed litters of three plant species > one plant species litter, while the litter soluble total nitrogen content was mixed litters of three plant species > mixed litters of two plant species > one plant species litter. Correlation analysis showed that the litter mass loss rate had definite correlation with the litter soluble organic matter, especially soluble organic carbon. From the viewpoint of mass loss rate, the mixture of the litters of P. simonii, H. rhamnoide, and M. sativa was the optimum. It was suggested that in the process of returning farmland into forestland and grassland in the gully and valley region of Loess Plateau, it would be required to rationally increase plant species diversity to improve soil fertility.