ABOVE GROUND BIOMASS MICRONUTRIENTS IN A SEASONAL SUBTROPICAL FOREST

Abstract

In the above ground biomass of a native forest or plantation are stored large quantities of nutrients, with few studies in the literature, especially concerning micronutrients. The present work aimed to quantify the micronutrients in above ground biomass in a Seasonal Subtropical forest in Itaara-RS, Brazil. For the above ground biomass evaluation, 20 trees of five different diameter classes were felled. The above ground biomass was separated in the following compartments: stem wood, stem bark, branches and leaves. The contents of B, Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn in the biomass samples were determined. The stock of micronutrients in the biomass for each component was obtained based on the estimated dry biomass, multiplied by the nutrient content. The total production of above ground biomass was estimated at 210.0 Mg.ha-1. The branches, stem wood, stem bark and leaves corresponded to 48.8, 43.3, 5.4 and 2.4% of the above ground biomass. The lower levels of B, Cu, Fe and Mn are in stem wood, except for Zn; in the branches and trunk wood are the largest stocks of B, Cu, Fe and Mn. In the branches, leaves and trunk bark are stored most micronutrients, pointing to the importance of these to remain on the soil.