Plant Litter - An Overview of its Chemistry and Fungal Decomposition

ISBN-13: 9786135852257 / Angielski / Miękka / 2018 / 128 str.

Shahnaaz Khatoon; Mohd Kamil Hussain; Mohd Faheem Khan

Opis

Plant litter serves as the primary carbon source for terrestrial heterotrophic organisms. Microorganisms excrete enzymes that decompose the biopolymers found in plant litter. Classically, plants cell wall polysaccharides have been grouped into cellulose, hemicelluloses, and pectins. Non-structural components of plant litter are considered labile, whereas biopolymers require specialized enzymatic systems for decomposition. In a natural ecosystem, the entire biomass of the plants is returned to the soil after the death of the plants through the process of decomposition. However, in agro-ecosystems, a significant proportion of the biomass is removed from the soil. Hence, intensive cultivation of crop requires massive application of synthetic fertilizers to compensate for the loss of nutrients from the soil as a result of their removal by the agricultural crops. However, the prohibitive cost of chemical fertilizers as also numerous environmental problems associated with their production and use have prompted scientists to look for better alternatives.

O autorze

Dr. Shahnaaz Khatoon was awarded a Ph.D degree in 2013 on the topic "Studies on the Potential of Fungi to Decompose Wheat Straw in Relation to Varying Nitrogen and Phosphorus Levels." Her research interests are cantered on the microbial decomposition of crop residues and medicinal properties of traditional plants.