Nutrient dynamics of Sphagnum farming on rewetted bog grassland in NW Germany

Vroom, Renske; Temmink, Ralph J. M.; Dijk, Gijs van; Joosten, Hans; Lamers, Leon P. M.; Smolders, Alfons J. P.; Gaudig, Greta; Fritz, Christian

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138470

Cited by 15 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…The choice for a certain paludicrop and the potential nutrient removal ability depends on the nutrient availability and pH of the soil. We found that a higher nutrient load cannot compensate the negative effects of a low pH and therefore acid soils with bog peat are less suitable for T. latifolia, and more suitable for Sphagnum farming (Temmink et al 2016;Gaudig et al 2017;Vroom et al 2020). More neutral soils with a higher nutrient availability are suitable for fast-growing species like Typha spec., P. australis, and Arundo spec.…”

Section: Management Optionsmentioning

confidence: 89%

Paludiculture Crops And Nitrogen Kick-Start Ecosystem Service Provisioning In Rewetted Peat Soils

Vroom¹,

Geurts²,

Nouta³

et al. 2021

Preprint

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PurposePaludiculture (crop cultivation in wet peatlands) can prevent carbon and nutrient losses while enabling biomass production. As vegetation in rewetted peatlands is often nitrogen (N) limited, input of N rich water may promote biomass production and nutrient removal. However, it is unclear how N loading and soil characteristics affect biomass yield, nutrient dynamics, and ecosystem service provisioning in paludicultures. MethodsWe studied the influence of N loading (0, 50, 150, and 450 kg N ha-1 yr-1) on biomass production and nutrient sequestration of Typha latifolia (broadleaf cattail) and Phragmites australis (common reed) on a limed agricultural peat soil after rewetting. To assess the interaction with soil characteristics T. latifolia was also grown on a non-limed former agricultural soil.ResultsN loading stimulated biomass production and nutrient uptake of both T. latifolia and P. australis, with T. latifolia showing the most pronounced response. Biomass yield of T. latifolia was higher in the limed soil than in the non-limed soil due to a higher pH, despite lower nutrient availability. N was largely taken up by the vegetation, whereas bare soils showed N accumulation in pore and surface water, and 80% loss through denitrification. Phosphorus in the soil was efficiently taken up by T. latifolia, especially at high N loads.ConclusionN loading in paludicultures with T. latifolia and P. australis boosts biomass production while kick-starting peatland ecosystem services including nutrient removal. Nutrient availability and pH appear to be decisive soil characteristics when it comes to crop selection.

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Section: Management Optionsmentioning

confidence: 89%

Paludiculture Crops And Nitrogen Kick-Start Ecosystem Service Provisioning In Rewetted Peat Soils

Vroom¹,

Geurts²,

Nouta³

et al. 2021

Preprint

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“…Each structure consisted of 3 stacked biodegradable BESE-sheets (sheet dimensions: 91.5x45.5x2 cm, LxWxH, https://www.bese-products.com, Temmink et al 2020). To create organic matter (OM) modules, we added 2 kg of fresh peat (0.9 kg L -1 , origin Baltic States) on top of the lowest…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Next, to investigate whether alternative stable state conditions are present in the field and if they can be overcome, we tested a novel restoration framework (Temmink et al 2020). In an experiment, we use biodegradable floating establishment structures (hereafter, structures for brevity) that mimic buoyant peat.…”

Section: Accepted Articlementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The formation of such a mat may occur rather rapidly. For instance, Sphagnum is able to form a dense layer consisting of living and dead material of 18 cm thick in under 10 yr (Vroom et al 2020).…”

Section: Alternative Stable States In Bogsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is important to note, that for widespread upscaling a sustainable donor supply could be an issue, because peat mosses are relatively scarce in the Netherlands and Western Europe. Mosses grown at Sphagnum farms can be a sustainable alternative to mosses collected in natural peatlands (Gaudig et al 2017, Temmink et al 2017, Vroom et al 2020). In addition, natural succession of a floating peat moss carpet towards an ombrotrophic bog vegetation can be slow process (decades to a century; Lindsay and Clough 2016), and the introduction of later-successional peat mosses on top of floating mats may speed this up.…”

Section: Conclusion and Implications For Restorationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Overcoming establishment thresholds for peat mosses in human‐made bog pools

Temmink

Cruijsen

Smolders

et al. 2021

Ecological Applications

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Globally, peatlands have been affected by drainage and peat extraction, with adverse effects on their functioning and services. To restore peat-forming vegetation, drained bogs are being rewetted on a large scale. Although this practice results in higher groundwater levels, unfortunately it often creates deep lakes in parts where peat was extracted to greater depths than the surroundings. Revegetation of these deeper waters by peat mosses appears to be challenging due to strong abiotic feedbacks that keep these systems in an undesired bare state. In this study, we theoretically explore if a floating peat mat and an open human-made bog lake can be considered two alternative stable states using a simple model, and experimentally test in the field whether stable states are present, and whether a state shift can be accomplished using floating biodegradable structures that mimic buoyant peat. We transplanted two peat moss species into these structures (pioneer sp.Sphagnum cuspidatum and later-successional sp. S. palustre) with and without additional organic substrate. Our model suggests that these open human-made bog-lakes and floating peat mats can indeed be regarded as alternative stable states. Natural recovery by spontaneous peat moss growth, i.e. a state shift from open water to floating mats, is only possible when the water table is sufficiently shallow to avoid light limitation (<0.29 m at our site). Our experiment revealed that alternative stable states are present and that the floating structures facilitated the growth of pioneer S. cuspidatum and vascular plants. Organic substrate addition particularly facilitated vascular plant growth, which correlated to higher moss height. The structures remained too wet for the latesuccessional species S. palustre. We conclude that open water and floating peat mats in humanmade bog lakes can be considered two alternative stable states, and that temporary floating establishment structures can induce a state shift from the open water state to peat-forming vegetation state. These findings imply that for successful restoration, there is a clear water-depth threshold to enable peat moss growth and there is no need for addition of large amounts of donorpeat substrate. Correct species selection for restoration is crucial for success.

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Restoring organic matter, carbon and nutrient accumulation in degraded peatlands: 10 years Sphagnum paludiculture

et al. 2023

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Drained peatlands emit large amounts of greenhouse gases and cause downstream nutrient pollution. Rewetting aids in restoring carbon storage and sustaining unique biodiversity. However, rewetting for nature restoration is socio-economically not always feasible. Cultivation of Sphagnum biomass after rewetting allows agricultural production. In the short term, Sphagnum paludiculture is productive without fertilization but it remains unclear whether it sustains its functionality in the longer-term. We studied nutrient dynamics, organic matter build-up, and carbon and nutrient accumulation at a 16-ha Sphagnum paludiculture area in NW-Germany. Site preparation included topsoil removal and inoculation with Sphagnum and it was rewetted five and ten years ago and managed with mowing, irrigation, and ditch cleaning. The unfertilized sites were irrigated with (compared to bog conditions) nutrient-rich surface water and exposed to atmospheric nitrogen deposition of 21 kg N/ha/yr. Our data reveal that ten years of Sphagnum growth resulted in a new 30 cm thick organic layer, sequestering 2,600 kg carbon, 56 kg nitrogen, 3.2 kg phosphorus, and 9.0 kg potassium per ha/yr. Porewater nutrient concentrations were low and remained stable over time in the top layer, while ammonium concentrations decreased from 400–700 to 0–50 µmol/L in the peat profile over 10 years. Hydro-climatic fluctuations most likely caused the variation in ammonium in the top layer. We conclude that Sphagnum paludiculture enables rapid carbon and nutrient accumulation without active fertilization provided the biomass is not harvested, and provides perspective for bog restoration on agricultural peatlands. Large-scale application of Sphagnum paludiculture may mitigate environmental issues of unsustainable peatland-use.

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Nutrient dynamics of Sphagnum farming on rewetted bog grassland in NW Germany

Cited by 15 publications

References 41 publications

Paludiculture Crops And Nitrogen Kick-Start Ecosystem Service Provisioning In Rewetted Peat Soils

Paludiculture Crops And Nitrogen Kick-Start Ecosystem Service Provisioning In Rewetted Peat Soils

Overcoming establishment thresholds for peat mosses in human‐made bog pools

Restoring organic matter, carbon and nutrient accumulation in degraded peatlands: 10 years Sphagnum paludiculture

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