| Abstract: | Abstract Because farmers use mixtures of leaves and stems as a soil amendment, data of leaves, stems, and a leaf/stem mixture of Indigofera constricta and Mucuna pruriens from a 20‐week litterbag study were analyzed to assess their decomposition, nutrient release, and possible interactions within mixtures. Decomposition and nitrogen (N)–release patterns were leaves≥mixtures≥stems, whereas phosphorus (P)–release patterns were the opposite (P<0.05). Leaves released 110–130 Kg N ha?1, and mixtures released 30% less. A similar ratio was obtained for P release. This suggests that nutrient release from leaf/stem mixtures is overestimated when only leaves are considered. Decomposition and nutrient‐release patterns of mixtures occasionally differed from estimated patterns by 2–5% (P<0.05), indicating that minor interactions took place. However, estimations based on the amount of released nutrients generally showed non significant interactions. This suggests that the impact of low‐magnitude interactions within mixtures during its decomposition on soil fertility are negligible when considering total nutrient release. |
