Nitrogen fertiliser effects on litter fall, FH layer and mineral soil characteristics in New Zealand Pinus radiata plantations

Smaill, Simeon J.; Clinton, Peter W.; Greenfield, L. G.

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2008.05.026

Cited by 24 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 22 publications

(44 reference statements)

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“…For example, Homann et al (2001) assessed paired unfertilized and urea fertilized (>89 gN m −2 ) plots in 13-s growth Douglas-fir stands distributed throughout western Washington and Oregon and found no change in C concentrations in the light fraction soil organic matter. The lack of response of C concentrations in the mineral soils to N fertilization is not unexpected because N additions are often reported to increase the decomposition of soil organic matter, but this loss of soil C can be offset by increased organic matter inputs from litter due to N-caused increase in growth (Huang et al 2011a;Neff et al 2002;Smaill et al 2008). In this trial, N fertilization did not significantly increase forest productivity.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 55%

“…Carlyle (1993) stated that whole-tree harvesting tended to decrease the size of the labile soil C pool and that, because this loss can be offset by resumed litter inputs, the effect is probably temporary and only reduction in the stable pool is likely to persist in the long term. The forest productivity and litter biomass measurements made for this trial by Smaill (2006) in 2003 suggested that neither the 300 Index nor the litterfall biomass was significantly affected by forest harvesting (P=0.21 and 0.11, respectively). The 300 Index were 28.5 and 28.4 m 3 /ha/year in whole-tree harvesting and stem-only harvesting plots, respectively, and the litterfall input was 0.93 and 1.18 g/m 2 per day in whole-tree harvesting and stem-only harvesting plots, respectively.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 68%

“…In this trial, N fertilization did not significantly increase forest productivity. The 300 Index values estimated from 2003 measurements were 28.6 and 28.2 m 3 /ha/year in the fertilized and unfertilized plots, respectively (Smaill 2006). However, litterfall was significantly (P=0.05) greater in fertilized than unfertilized plots (1.24 and 1.09 g/m 2 per day respectively in 2003; Smaill 2006).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 93%

“…The forest productivity data were supplied by Smaill (2006), and was generated using an algorithm called the 300 Index. Using the values for tree volume, height, stand age, and other factors (collected in 2003) describing the initial nutritional characteristics of the site, the 300 Index was used to calculate the projected mean annual incremental increase in the stem volume of the trees in a stand at age 30, assuming a stand density of 300 stems per hectare by age 30.…”

Section: Forest Productivity and Litterfall Inputmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A full description and discussion of the 300 Index growth model was presented by Kimberley et al (2005), and the model has been found to perform well in a range of P. radiata plantations around New Zealand. The litterfall input was estimated with litter traps (four per split plot) in 2003 (Smaill 2006). The horizontal surface area of the litter trap was approximately 1 m 2 .…”

Section: Forest Productivity and Litterfall Inputmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Impacts of plantation forest management on soil organic matter quality

et al. 2011

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Purpose Light fraction soil organic matter is characterized by rapid mineralization due to the labile nature of its chemical constituents and to the lack of protection by soil colloids. The changes in the size of light fraction soil organic matter constituents are useful early indicators of management-related carbon (C) and nutrient changes. However, previous studies have not assessed the impacts of forest management practices on the chemical composition and sources of organic matter in the light fraction. The change in the chemistry of light fraction soil organic matter may significantly affect turnover rate of organic matter in the whole soil and soil fertility. The aim of this study was to assess how different forest management practices would affect the chemical composition of light fraction soil organic matter. Materials and methods Soils in 0-5, 5-15, and 15-25-cm layers were sampled in 2009 from a 19-year-old secondrotation Pinus radiata D. Don plantation. Soils were subject to four different treatment combinations (stem-only and whole-tree harvesting residue management treatments were combined with the presence or absence of nitrogen (N)). The soil was physically separated into two pools based on density fractionation. The C and N concentrations in the whole soil, light, and heavy fractions were determined. Light fraction soil organic matter in upper soil (0-5 cm depth) was analyzed by solid-state CPMAS 13 C NMR and GC/MS to determine the effects of forest management practices on the composition of organic C functional groups and the relative abundance of plant biomarkers. Results and discussion Long-term fertilization did not affect the C and N concentrations in the whole soil, light and heavy fractions, but increased the relative enrichment of alkyl C and alkyl-to-O-alkyl C ratio in the light fraction soil organic matter at the 0-5 cm depth, which may suggest increased decomposition of the light fraction. The relative abundance of cutin-derived compounds, which originate from the waxy coating of leaves, was greater in the light fraction soil organic matter in the fertilized plots than in the unfertilized plots. The relative abundance of major carbohydrates, labile components in the light fraction soil organic matter, decreased in the fertilized plots despite greater inputs from forest litter, compared to that in the unfertilized plots. Compared with whole-tree harvest plots, stem-only harvest plots had greater C concentrations in the light fraction soil organic matter at 0 to 25-cm layer and seemed to have a greater alkyl-to-O-alkyl ratio in the light fraction of soil organic matter, but the difference in alkyl-to-O-alkyl ratio due to harvest residue management was not significant (P<0.05) at the 0-5 cm depth. Post-harvesting residue management did not significantly affect functional organic C groups as analyzed by CPMAS 13 C NMR, or the relative abundance of cutin, suberin, lignin-derived compounds or major carbohydrates determined by GC/MS. Conclusions The analyses of light fraction soil organic matte...

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 55%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 68%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 93%

Section: Forest Productivity and Litterfall Inputmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Forest Productivity and Litterfall Inputmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Impacts of plantation forest management on soil organic matter quality

et al. 2011

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Legacies of organic matter removal: decreased microbial biomass nitrogen and net N mineralization in New Zealand Pinus radiata plantations

2009

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Increased tree growth following long-term optimised fertiliser application indirectly alters soil properties in a boreal forest

et al. 2020

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It is well established that nutrient addition influences ecosystem features such as productivity, carbon storage, soil acidification and biodiversity. Less studied are long-term effects of sustained fertiliser application on forest soil characteristics and nutrient supplies, and especially direct and indirect mechanisms underlying changes. We investigated effects of three decades vs. one decade of optimised fertiliser application on soil properties and nutrient supplies in a 30-year-old nutrient optimisation experiment in a Norway spruce plantation in northern Sweden. We tested for direct and indirect effects of fertiliser use through structural equation models and correlations among tree and soil variables. Results showed that soil characteristics, especially organic carbon and nutrient concentrations, were significantly affected by 10-and 30-year fertiliser application. Soil C:N was similar for the short-term vs controls, but decreased for the long-term vs short-term treatment. Although not explicitly measured, it was clear from our analyses and earlier studies at the site that litter accumulation played a key role in explaining these changes in soil properties, while foliar stoichiometry data suggest long-term effects of litter quality.Nutrient supply rates increased more after 30 than 10 years of fertiliser application. Summarized, we showed that the interplay of direct and indirect effects can yield nonlinear patterns over time, as exemplified by soil C:N. Furthermore, we conclude that lagged, indirect effects of fertilisation through altered litter quantity and quality dominate changes in soil characteristics in this forest. These soil characteristics have further relevance to nutrient availability, suggesting nutrient optimisation can influence soil fertility also indirectly.

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Nitrogen fertiliser effects on litter fall, FH layer and mineral soil characteristics in New Zealand Pinus radiata plantations

Cited by 24 publications

References 22 publications

Impacts of plantation forest management on soil organic matter quality

Impacts of plantation forest management on soil organic matter quality

Legacies of organic matter removal: decreased microbial biomass nitrogen and net N mineralization in New Zealand Pinus radiata plantations

Increased tree growth following long-term optimised fertiliser application indirectly alters soil properties in a boreal forest

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