Global litter removal study

HBLFA Raumberg-Gumpenstein

Global litter removal study

The breakdown of litter in the soil is of great importance for the carbon cycle. When litter is decomposed by soil organisms, the climate-relevant gas CO 2 released. The speed of litter decomposition depends primarily on the quality of the litter, the number and activity of soil organisms and the climate (especially temperature and precipitation). Climate change therefore also influences litter reduction.

Tea bags in the ground

As part of the “Tea Composition Initiative”, litter degradation tests were carried out in 570 terrestrial ecosystems worldwide in order to be able to predict the impact of climate change on litter degradation. At the HBLFA Raumberg-Gumpenstein, tax reduction tests were carried out in a three-cut hay meadow. The experimental site represents grassland in the temperate climate zone. The “tea bag method” was used to quantify litter degradation. Tea bags of green tea (representative of easily degradable litter) and rooibos tea (representative of difficult to decompose litter) were buried in the ground, dug up again after an incubation period of 3 months, 12 months, 24 months and 36 months and the organic material had not decomposed until then quantified. This valuable litter reduction experiment was reported on ORF (Newton).

Further detailed information can be found at www.teacomposition.org


team

Gaier Lukas, DI

DI Lukas Gaier

Forage plants, varieties and mixtures