| Abstract |
Leaf litter plays a major role in carbon and nutrient cycling, as well as in fueling food
webs. The chemical composition of a leaf may directly and indirectly influence decomposition rates
by influencing rates of biological reactions and by influencing the accumulation of soil organic
carbon content, respectively. This study aimed to assess the impact of the chemical composition of
rubber (Hevea brasiliensis (Willd. ex A. Juss.) Muell. Arg.) leaves on various soil properties of
different ages of rubber (4–5, 11–12, and 22–23 year-old). Synchrotron-based Fourier transform
infrared microspectroscopy (Sr-FTIR) was utilized for analyzing the chemical composition of plant
leaves. The Sr-FTIR bands illustrated that the epidermis of rubber leaves from 4–5-year-old trees
was found to contain a high quantity of polysaccharides while mesophyll from 22–23-year-old trees
had a large number of polysaccharides. The change in soil properties in the older rubber plantation
could be attributed to its chemical composition. The change in soil properties across all tree ages,
i.e., increased litter and organic carbon content, was a relatively strong driver of soil biota
evolution. The aliphatic of C-H in the leaves showed high correlation with soil organic carbon
(SOC) and permanganate-oxidizable C (POXC) from 22–23 year-old trees. This study shows the
differences in the organic chemical composition of leaves that are consequential to soil organic
carbon. |
Publication
Journal Publication
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