Effects of plantation age and precipitation gradient on soil carbon and nitrogen changes following afforestation in the Chinese Loess Plateau

Han, Xiaoyang; Gao, Guangyao; Li, Zongshan; Chang, Ruiying; Jiao, Lixin; Fu, Bojie

doi:10.1002/ldr.3422

Cited by 39 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 66 publications

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“…Therefore, the sustainability of mature plantations in water‐limited regions of the Loess Plateau should be carefully considered (C. Wang et al, 2017). Thus, appropriate thinning of plantations in water‐limited areas should be conducted to alleviate soil water deficits (Han et al, 2019). Forest thinning can increase understorey plant diversity (Thomas et al, 1999), and understorey shrub and herb diversity have been shown to increase by ~24% and 28%, respectively, after forest thinning in China (X. Li et al, 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…SOCS in the cropland was used as the baseline (Han et al, 2018(Han et al, , 2019. The changes in the SOCS for each plot were estimated using the following equation:…”

Section: Sampling Design and Measurementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The effects of understorey plant communities on SOC sequestration have seldom been considered. The evidence that USR and legumes can influence SOC sequestration provides a new perspective on understanding the effects of plantations on SOC sequestration.SOC sequestration is determined by the inputs and decomposition of biological residues(Guenet et al, 2018;Han et al, 2019;Peng et al, 2018), such as the decomposition of organic matter in withered branches, defoliation, stubble and soils(Selim et al, 2016;Tang et al, 2019), the formation of soil humus by microbial activities(Tang et al, 2019), and SOC allocation(Cusack et al, 2011). Plantation age alters SOC inputs by affecting litter yieldS.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Plantation understorey legume functional groups enhance soil organic carbon sequestration by promoting species richness

Wang

et al. 2023

Land Degrad Dev

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Despite evidence showing that plant diversity or tree mixtures increase carbon storage in experimental grasslands or mixed forests, the effects of understorey plant communities on changes in soil organic carbon (SOC) storage in planted forests remain unclear, especially for monoculture plantations. Therefore, based on field observations in monoculture plantations on the Loess Plateau in China, we investigated the direct effects of understorey species richness (USR) and plantation age on SOC storage, and identified the indirect effects of understorey legume species richness (ULSR) and soil moisture (SM) mediated by USR. Results indicated that plantation age and USR significantly increased SOC sequestration with almost equal effects. The changes in the relationship between USR and SOC storage varied along the water availability gradient, from significantly positive (in plots with SM ≤11.14%) to insignificant (in plots with SM >11.14%). We observed that ULSR could increase SOC sequestration by promoting USR, while SM had negative and positive effects on ULSR and USR, respectively. Our findings can provide insights into plantation management in semiarid regions: Thinning mature plantations and introducing understorey legumes can increase SOC sequestration and maintain water resource sustainability.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…SOCS in the cropland was used as the baseline (Han et al, 2018(Han et al, , 2019. The changes in the SOCS for each plot were estimated using the following equation:…”

Section: Sampling Design and Measurementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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Plantation understorey legume functional groups enhance soil organic carbon sequestration by promoting species richness

Wang

et al. 2023

Land Degrad Dev

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“…Third, the effects of annual precipitation on ecosystem C and N stocks might obscure the responses of CTT system and NTT system to the increasing soil respiration and N leaching as a result of increasing annual precipitation. This is because CTT system and NTT system are not only determined by C and N output fluxes, such as soil respiration and N leaching, but also by ecosystem C and N stocks, which reportedly change along precipitation gradient (Han et al., 2019; Hobley et al., 2015; Khan et al., 2019; Lie et al., 2018). This might hide the effects of annual precipitation on soil respiration and N leaching.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Carbon and Nitrogen Turnover Times of South Korean Forests Estimated via Data‐Model Fusion

et al. 2021

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Carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) are fundamental elements that support forest life. The assessment of C and N stocks has been a core focus since the inception of biogeochemistry in terms of the implications of C sequestration and N losses (Högberg et al., 2017;Howarth et al., 2006;Pan et al., 2011). At the ecosystem level, C and N stocks are the balance between (a) input fluxes to forests including photosynthesis, N deposition, and biological N fixation, (b) internal fluxes in forests such as litterfall, N mineralization, and N retranslocation, and (c) output fluxes from forests through respiration, N leaching, and denitrification (Agren & Andersson, 2012;Gundersen, 1991). This balance can be interpreted by turnover time, which represents the average time elapsed between the input of an element to forests and its output from forests in an autonomous Abstract Biogeochemical models use estimates of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) turnover times for the future projection of global forest C and N stocks, but unexplained variation in the C and N turnover times is causing considerable uncertainty. This study aimed to estimate C and N turnover times of South Korean forests and explain their variation with forest type, temperature, precipitation, stand age, and ecosystem C:N ratio. We used the balance method and data-model fusion to estimate the C and N turnover times. Data-model fusion was used to integrate the National Forest Inventory data (2011-2020) with a biogeochemical model, Forest Biomass and Dead organic matter Carbon and Nitrogen (FBD-CAN). The N turnover time (376-499 years) was ∼45 times longer than the C turnover time (9-10 years). Forest type had no substantial effects on the C and N turnover times. However, the C and N turnover times were positively correlated with stand age and ecosystem C:N ratio, and negatively correlated with temperature. Overall, ecosystem C:N ratio, stand age, temperature, and precipitation explained 45%, 15%, 12%, and 3%, respectively, of the total variation of the C and N turnover times. These results contribute to the understanding and prediction of forest C and N changes in a changing world and highlight the importance of considering C:N ratio for reliable estimation of the C and N turnover times.Plain Language Summary Forests are major sinks of carbon and nitrogen that can cause global warming when present in gaseous forms. Turnover times, referring to the time an element remains in an ecosystem, are measures of the long-term stability of carbon and nitrogen. Models use estimates of turnover times for future projections of carbon and nitrogen cycles, but limited knowledge in turnover times and model uncertainty are causing trouble. Data-model fusion is a technic that combines data and model's output to decrease model uncertainty. We used data-model fusion to estimate carbon and nitrogen turnover times with a model and field-measured carbon and nitrogen data in the South Korean forests. We then explained how forest type, temperature, precipitation, forest age, and carbon:nitrogen ratio a...

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“…To this end, soil samples were extracted using 2 M KCl for 1 h and measured using a continuous‐flow injection analyzer (SmartChem 200) according to the manufacturer's instructions (Joseph & Henry, 2008). The soil mineral N (Nmin) stock was estimated by multiplying the concentrations of (NO 3 − ‐N and NH 4 + ‐N), soil sampling depth, and bulk density (Han et al, 2019; Li et al, 2020).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tillage with straw incorporation reduces the optimal nitrogen rate for maize production by affecting crop uptake, utility efficiency, and the soil balance of nitrogen

Wang

Lian

et al. 2023

Land Degrad Dev

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Understanding the combined effects of tillage and straw incorporation on grain yield and nitrogen (N) fertilizer utilization is vital for sustainable agriculture in northeastern China. How various tillage patterns with straw incorporation affect soil N balance and optimal N rate for crop production remains largely unknown. A four‐year (2015–2018) field experiment was conducted to assess the impact of rotary tillage with maize straw incorporation (RTS) and plough tillage with straw incorporation (PTS) combined with different N fertilizer rates (0, 112, 187, 262, and 337 kg N ha−1) on maize yield, N uptake, soil N balance, nitrogen use efficiency, and optimal N rate. In general, higher straw N uptake and lower N partial factor productivity, N use efficiency, and recovery of applied N in grains were obtained under PTS than under RTS. Moreover, grain yield and both straw and grain N uptake increased with the N application rate. However, no further increase in grain yield was observed when the applied N exceeded 187 kg N ha−1. PTS resulted in a higher level of unaccounted N from applied N fertilizer (38–81 kg N ha−1) than RTS. A high N fertilizer input (>262 kg N ha−1) combined with straw incorporation resulted in a high soil mineral N profit and substantially increased unaccounted N (614–715 kg N ha−1) over the four‐year field trial period. The optimal N input required for the highest maize yield could be reduced by 35.0%–44.6% using tillage with straw return. Nevertheless, PTS was more effective than RTS at lowering the optimal N application rate. Overall, the results of this short‐term maize field study conducted in northeastern China suggest that the amount of N fertilizer input required for maize production could be reduced by using tillage with continuous straw incorporation.

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Effects of plantation age and precipitation gradient on soil carbon and nitrogen changes following afforestation in the Chinese Loess Plateau

Cited by 39 publications

References 66 publications

Plantation understorey legume functional groups enhance soil organic carbon sequestration by promoting species richness

Plantation understorey legume functional groups enhance soil organic carbon sequestration by promoting species richness

Carbon and Nitrogen Turnover Times of South Korean Forests Estimated via Data‐Model Fusion

Tillage with straw incorporation reduces the optimal nitrogen rate for maize production by affecting crop uptake, utility efficiency, and the soil balance of nitrogen

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