Leaf litter decomposition and carbon release patterns in five homegarden tree species of Kumaun Himalaya viz. Ficus palmata, Ficus auriculata, Ficus hispida, Grewia optiva and Celtis austalaris were investigated. The study was carried out for 210 days by using litter bag technique. In the current investigation, the duration needed for desertion of the original biomass of diverse leaf litter varied from 150 to 210 days and specifies a varying pattern of decomposition and carbon release among the species. Grewia optiva took the longest time to decompose (210 days) while Ficus hispida decomposed more quickly than rest of the species (150 days). The relative decomposition rate (RDR) was reported highest in Ficus hispida (0.009-0.02 g-1d-1) and lowest in Grewia optiva (0.008-0.004 g-1d-1). Carbon (%) in remaining litter was in the order: Ficus auriculata (24.4 %) >Ficus hispida (24.3%) > Celtis austaralis (19.8%) > Ficus palmata (19.7%) > Grewia optiva (19%). The relationship between percentage weight loss and time elapsed showed the significant negative correlation with carbon release pattern in all the species. Releasing nutrients into the soil through the decomposition of homegarden tree residuals is a crucial ecological function that also regulates the nutrient recycling in homegarden agroforestry practices.

This research investigates the effects of drying on some selected vegetables, which are Telfaria occidentalis, Amaranthu scruentus, Talinum triangulare, and Crussocephalum biafrae. These vegetables were collected fresh, sliced into smaller sizes of 0.5 cm, and dried in a convective dryer at varying temperatures of 60.0 °C, 70.0 °C and 80.0 °C respectively, for a regulated fan speed of 1.50 ms‒1, 3.00 ms‒1 and 6.00 ms‒1, and for a drying period of 6 hours. It was discovered that the drying rate for fresh samples was 4.560 gmin‒1 for Talinum triangulare, 4.390 gmin‒1for Amaranthu scruentus, 4.580 gmin‒1 for Talinum triangulare, and 4.640 gmin‒1 for Crussocephalum biafrae at different controlled fan speeds and regulated temperatures when the mass of the vegetable samples at each drying time was compared to the mass of the final samples dried for 6 hours. The samples are considered completely dried when the drying time reaches a certain point, as indicated by the drying rate and moisture contents tending to zero. According to drying kinetics, the rate of moisture loss was extremely high during the first two hours of drying and then steadily decreased during the remaining drying duration. The rate at which moisture was removed from the vegetable samples after the drying process at varying regulated temperatures was noted to be in this trend: 80.0 °C > 70.0 °C > 60.0 °C and 6.0 ms‒1 > 3.0 ms‒1 > 1.5 ms‒1 for regulated fan speed. It can be stated here that the moisture contents has significant effects on the drying rate of the samples of vegetables investigated because the drying rate decreases as the regulated temperatures increase and the moisture contents decrease. The present investigation is useful in the agricultural engineering and food engineering industries.