Abstract
Leaf litter production and its seasonal patterns were estimated by installing 60 litter traps in the moist deciduous forests of Madiun Forest District in Eastern Java at six selected teak (Tectona grandis) plantations (10 to 40 years old). Ten litter traps each with a quadrat top of 1 m2 in size were randomly placed within each stand, and the leaf litter was collected every 2 weeks over a 12-month period from October 2000 to September 2001. Total annual leaf litter production of various stand ages in the study sites ranged from 4.48 to 5.79 Mg ha-1 yr-1, of which 60 % of the leaves fall during the dry season (June-September). Neither structural attributes of vegetation, such as stand age, density and basal area, nor altitude, directly influenced the total annual leaf litter production.
Leaf litter fall followed a monomodal distribution pattern with the peak occurring in June (early dry season) for 10, 15 and 20-year-old teak plantations. However, the 25, 30 and 40-year-old teak plantations had bimodal distribution, with the two peaks occurring in June and September (later dry season). The variation in the seasonal patterns of leaf litter is considered to be partly attributed to the growth behavior of the trees through adaptations to soil water stress during the dry season under tropical climatic conditions in the area.
