Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 6, 2026

Assessment of Labile Organic Carbon in Soil Using Sequential Fumigation Incubation Procedures
Published on: October 29, 2016
Grass production and decomposition in Southern Guinea savanna, Nigeria
1Termite Research Project, Agricultural Research Station, Mokwa via Jebba, Nigeria.
Abstract:
Annual grass production in ungrazed plots was 2,731 kg ha-1, litter production was 1,619 kg ha-1 and decomposition was 1,789 kg ha-1. In grazed plots the corresponding figures were 3,157 kg ha-1, 1,440 kg ha-1, and 1,475 kg ha-1 respectively; cattle consumed 1,405 kg ha-1. Litter disappearance was greatest in the dry season: 1,226 kg ha-1 (69% of the annual total) disappearing in the 4 months of December to March in the ungrazed plots, largely due to consumption (790 kg ha-1 in December to March) by fungus-growing termites (Macrotermitinae). A positive linear relationship was found between maximum grass biomass and annual rainfall in West Africa.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Overview of Nitrogen Metabolism
The largest pool of nitrogen available in the terrestrial ecosystem is gaseous nitrogen (N2) from the air, but this...
Primary Production
The Soil Ecosystem
Environmental Applications of Microorganisms
Ecological Succession

