Potential of Decomposing Leaf Litter of Leucaena Leucocephala in Influencing Mycoflora of the Soil and Its Role in Increasing Soil Fertility

To determine whether Multipurpose Tree (MPT) species are suitable as a source of nutrients for growing crops, residual leaf material needs to be analyzed for its decomposition rate and patterns. A detailed study of the nutrients released in soil by the amendment of decomposing leaf litter of Leucaena leucocephala and its influence on rhizosphere mycoflora, fertility, and yield parameters of the plant was conducted. The effect of leaf litter amendment on soil in terms of soil structure was assessed by analyzing soil for its pH, nutrient content, and organic matter at different stages of crop growth. Increased soil fertility in agricultural production was estimated by various growth and yield characteristics of Trigonella foenum-graecum. The estimation of rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere fungus populations both from amended and control soils were made and the readings were expressed as percent frequency of occurrence. The amendment of soil with litter resulted in an increase in the number of fungi (18,000/g soil) as compared to the control soil (7200/g soil). The addition of the organic mulch favored the mycorrhizal colonization of roots. At 90 days of plant growth, the percent colonization was more than two times of those growing in control soil and 90