Relative role of understory and overstory in carbon and nitrogen cycling in a southern Appalachian spruce–fir forestAES Publication 7863. Utah Agricultural Experiment Station, Utah State University, Logan, Utah.

2007 ◽  
Vol 37 (12) ◽  
pp. 2689-2700 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. T. Moore ◽  
H. Van Miegroet ◽  
N. S. Nicholas

This study investigated aboveground pools and fluxes of biomass, carbon (C), and nitrogen (N) in the overstory and understory of a southern Appalachian red spruce ( Picea rubens Sarg.) – Fraser fir ( Abies fraseri (Pursh) Poir.) forest, following adelgid-induced fir mortality and spruce windthrow. Using fifty 20 m × 20 m plots, stratified by elevation (1700–1900 m), we estimated standing biomass and fluxes of all growth forms from periodic stand inventories (1998–2003), vegetation surveys, and existing or derived allometric equations. Total C and N pools and fluxes were calculated from plant- and tissue-specific C and N concentrations. Total aboveground biomass attained predisturbance values, ranging from 313 Mg·ha–1at the lower elevations to 204 Mg·ha–1at the upper elevations. Overstory biomass production (5650 kg·ha–1·year–1) and N uptake (11–15 kg·ha–1·year–1) exceeded earlier reported values, indicating forest recovery. Woody understory accounted for 3% of aboveground biomass, 10% of annual productivity, and 19% of total N uptake (∼7 kg·ha–1·year–1). Herbaceous vegetation, which comprised only 1% of total biomass, took up 18–21 kg N·ha–1annually, >50% of total ecosystem N uptake (37 kg·ha–1·year–1). This suggests that N-rich understory vegetation plays an important role in N cycling.

HortScience ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 42 (6) ◽  
pp. 1440-1449 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carolyn F. Scagel ◽  
Guihong Bi ◽  
Leslie H. Fuchigami ◽  
Richard P. Regan

Growth, nitrogen (N) uptake, and N storage were assessed in transplanted 1-year-old rhododendron liners. Two evergreen cultivars, Rhododendron ‘P. J. Mezitt Compact’ (PJM) and R. ‘English Roseum’ (ER), and one deciduous cultivar, R. ‘Gibraltar’ (AZ), were transplanted into 1-gal. pots and given liquid fertilizer with (+N) or without (–N) N. Increased N availability increased growth after July (ER, PJM) or August (AZ), and resulted in three to five times more total biomass. Biomass continued to increase after stem elongation and leaf production ceased. Nitrogen uptake was correlated with growth of all plant structures on AZ, whereas N uptake was only correlated with stem and leaf growth on evergreen cultivars. The rate of N uptake was highest before July for AZ (1.9 mg·d−1) and in August and September for the evergreen cultivars (≈5 mg·d−1). Thirteen percent to 16% of total N uptake from between May and February occurred after N fertilization ceased at the beginning of September. Plants contained the most N in October (AZ), November (PJM), or December (ER). Biomass loss after November accounted for a loss of 14% to 48% of the maximum total plant N content. Nitrogen demand by roots and stems increased from May to February in all cultivars. The role of new and old leaves in N storage on evergreen cultivars varied with cultivar and time. Differences in N storage between the evergreen cultivars occurred primarily in their roots and leaves. Over the winter, PJM stored more N in its roots, whereas ER stored more N in its leaves. Changes in N concentrations and contents in different plant structures after November indicate that, during early winter, N stored in other structures moves to roots and old stems of PJM, old stems of ER, and roots and new and old stems of AZ. These results suggest that fertilizer application strategies for transplanted liners of these cultivars should include low N availability after transplanting followed by high N availability in mid to late summer. This type of strategy will not only improve N uptake efficiency from fertilizer, but also will minimize N loss from the containers. The results also demonstrated that N uptake in the autumn may play an important role in supplementing plant N reserves required for growth during the next season as well as for balancing N losses incited by leaf abscission, root turnover, and maintenance functions that occur over winter.


2004 ◽  
Vol 31 (11) ◽  
pp. 1127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christophe Zapata ◽  
Eliane Deléens ◽  
Sylvain Chaillou ◽  
Christian Magné

As a part of a project aimed at elucidating the causal relationship between reserve mobilisation and the extent of shedding in Vitis vinifera L., we compared storage and fate of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) reserves in two varieties differing in their susceptibility to fruitlet abscission. Merlot (susceptible) and Pinot Noir (P. Noir, not susceptible) vines were grown in trenches under semi-controlled conditions over a 3-y period after planting. Mobilisation of stored C and N, distribution of reserve materials within the vines and 15N uptake were followed particularly during the spring growth flush and floral development in the third year. At dormancy, starch levels in the perennial tissues (roots, trunk, canes) were higher in Merlot than in P. Noir. During the spring growth flush, starch level decreased markedly in the roots of both cultivars until early bloom. At that time, starch started to accumulate in P. Noir but not in Merlot. Similar variations were found with total N. Accordingly, 15N analysis showed that translocation of storage N to the annual tissues was nearly achieved at early bloom in P. Noir while it continued until pea berry size in Merlot. In parallel, N uptake increased during the spring growth flush, and it was higher in P. Noir than in Merlot. These results indicate that transition between heterotrophic (root) and autotrophic (leaf) mode of nutrient allocation towards the developing inflorescences occurs earlier in P. Noir. Possible consequences are discussed in relation to the susceptibility of each cultivar to shedding.


2001 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 394-406 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claus Beier ◽  
Henrik Eckersten ◽  
Per Gundersen

A dynamic carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) circulation model, SOILN, was applied and tested on 7�years of control data and 3 years of manipulation data from an experiment involving monthly N addition in a Norway spruce (Picea abies, L. Karst) forest in Denmark. The model includes two pathways for N uptake: (1) as mineral N after mineralisation of organic N, or (2) directly from soil organic matter as amino acids proposed to mimic N uptake by mycorrhiza. The model was parameterised and applied to the data from the control plot both with and without the organic N uptake included. After calibration, the model�s performance was tested against data from the N-addition experiment by comparing model output with measurements. The model reproduced well the overall trends in C and N pools and the N concentrations in soil solutions in the top soil layers whereas discrepancies in soil-solution concentrations in the deeper soil layers are seen. In the control data, the needle-N concentration was well reproduced except for small underestimations in some years because of drought effects not included in the model. In the N-addition experiment, SOILN reproduces the observed changes; in particular, the changes in needle-N concentrations and the overall distribution within the ecosystem of the extra added 3.5 g N m�2 year�1 parallel the observations. When organic N uptake is included, the simulations indicate that in the control plot receiving c. 1.9 g N m�2 year�1, the organic N uptake in average supplies 35% of the total plant N uptake. By addition of an extra 35 kg N ha�1 year�1, the organic N uptake is reduced to 16% of the total N uptake. Generally, inclusion of the pathway for organic N uptake improves model performance compared with observations for both C and N. This is because mineral N uptake alone implies a larger mineralisation rate, leading to bigger concentrations of N in the soil and soil water, bigger N losses, and net loss of c. 100 kg C ha�1 year�1, thereby causing depletion of the organic soil layer.


2012 ◽  
Vol 39 (9) ◽  
pp. 795 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suraphon Thitithanakul ◽  
Gilles Pétel ◽  
Michel Chalot ◽  
François Beaujard

Tree nutrient research concentrated on endogenous C and N remobilisation in spring has neglected to acknowledge the possibilities of significant effects of N uptake before bud break, especially on the quality of regrowth and N reserve remobilisation. To investigate this subject, experimental studies were performed on young poplars (Populus tremula × Populus alba, clone INRA 717–1B4) grown with a controlled nutrient supply: (i) without N, ‘control’; (ii) N supplied throughout the course of the experiment, ‘N-supply’; and (iii) N supplied only before bud break, ‘N-pulse’. Results confirm the hypothesis that poplar scions can significantly take up nitrate before bud break, amounting to ~34% of the total N stored the previous year. After bud break, emerging leaves restart the sap flow, which increased nitrate uptake to support the regrowth. N-pulse and N-supply treatments were found to have significant effects shortly after a growth period, i.e. by increasing N content of all tissues (e.g. 37 and 81% in new shoots respectively), leaf area (18 and 29%) and specific leaf area (20 and 35%). Therefore, results confirm the hypothesis that early N supply plays a significant role in the N status and N remobilisation involved in the spring regrowth of young trees.


2005 ◽  
Vol 53 (4) ◽  
pp. 405-415 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Janaki ◽  
T. M. Thiyagarajan

Field experiments were conducted during 1998 and 1999 in June-September with rice variety ASD18 at the wetland farm, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, India to find out theeffect of N management approaches and planting densities on N accumulation by transplanted rice in a split plot design.The main plot consisted of three plant populations (33, 66 and 100 hills m-2) and the sub-plot treatments of five N management approaches. The results revealed thatthe average N uptake in roots and aboveground biomass progressively increased with growth stages. The mean root and aboveground biomass Nuptake were 26.1 to 130.6 and 6.4 to 17.8 kg ha-1, respectively. The N uptake of grain and straw was higher in theSesbania rostratagreen manuring + 150 kg N treatment, but it was not effective in increasing the grain yield. The mean total N uptake was found to be significantly lower at 33 hills m-2(76.9 kg ha-1) and increased with an increase in planting density (100.9 and 117.2 kg ha-1at 66 and 100 hills m-2density). N application had a significant influence on N uptake and the time course of N uptake in all the SPAD-guided N approaches. A significant regression coefficient was observed between the crop N uptake and grain yield. The relationship between cumulative N uptake at the flowering stage and the grain yield was quadratic at all three densities. The N uptake rate (µN) was maximum during the active tillering to panicle initiation period and declined sharply after that. In general, µNincreased with an increase in planting density and the increase was significant up to the panicle initiation to flowering period.thereafter, the N uptake rate was similar at densities of 66 and 100 hills m-2.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Khadim Dawar ◽  
Shah Fahad ◽  
M. M. R. Jahangir ◽  
Iqbal Munir ◽  
Syed Sartaj Alam ◽  
...  

AbstractIn this study, we explored the role of biochar (BC) and/or urease inhibitor (UI) in mitigating ammonia (NH3) and nitrous oxide (N2O) discharge from urea fertilized wheat cultivated fields in Pakistan (34.01°N, 71.71°E). The experiment included five treatments [control, urea (150 kg N ha−1), BC (10 Mg ha−1), urea + BC and urea + BC + UI (1 L ton−1)], which were all repeated four times and were carried out in a randomized complete block design. Urea supplementation along with BC and BC + UI reduced soil NH3 emissions by 27% and 69%, respectively, compared to sole urea application. Nitrous oxide emissions from urea fertilized plots were also reduced by 24% and 53% applying BC and BC + UI, respectively, compared to urea alone. Application of BC with urea improved the grain yield, shoot biomass, and total N uptake of wheat by 13%, 24%, and 12%, respectively, compared to urea alone. Moreover, UI further promoted biomass and grain yield, and N assimilation in wheat by 38%, 22% and 27%, respectively, over sole urea application. In conclusion, application of BC and/or UI can mitigate NH3 and N2O emissions from urea fertilized soil, improve N use efficiency (NUE) and overall crop productivity.


Biochar ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Peng ◽  
Xiaori Han ◽  
Na Li ◽  
Kun Chen ◽  
Jinfeng Yang ◽  
...  

AbstractCombined application of biochar with fertilizers has been used to increase soil fertility and crop yield. However, the coupling mechanisms through which biochar improves crop yield at field scale and the time span over which biochar affects carbon and nitrogen transformation and crop yield are still little known. In this study, a long-term field trial (2013–2019) was performed in brown soil planting maize. Six treatments were designed: CK—control; NPK—application of chemical fertilizers; C1PK—low biochar without nitrogen fertilizer; C1NPK, C2NPK and C3NPK—biochar at 1.5, 3 and 6 t ha−1, respectively, combined with chemical fertilizers. Results showed that the δ15N value in the topsoil of 0–20 cm layer in the C3NPK treatment reached a peak of 291 ‰ at the third year (2018), and demonstrated a peak of 402 ‰ in the NPK treatment in the initial isotope trial in 2016. Synchronously, SOC was not affected until the third to fourth year after biochar addition, and resulted in a significant increase in total N of 2.4 kg N ha−1 in 2019 in C3NPK treatment. During the entire experiment, the 15N recovery rates of 74–80% were observed highest in the C2NPK and C3NPK treatments, resulting in an annual increase in yields significantly. The lowest subsoil δ15N values ranged from 66‰ to 107‰, and the 15N residual rate would take 70 years for a complete decay to 0.001% in the C3NPK. Our findings suggest that biochar compound fertilizers can increase C stability and N retention in soil and improve N uptake by maize, while the loss of N was minimized. Biochars, therefore, may have an important potential for improving the agroecosystem and ecological balance. Graphic abstract


1993 ◽  
Vol 120 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. P. Tofinga ◽  
R. Paolini ◽  
R. W. Snaydon

SUMMARYWheat, barley and two morphologically contrasting cultivars of peas (leafy and semi-leafless) were grown in pure stands, at standard agricultural densities, and in additive mixtures of cereals with peas. The stands were grown in boxes in the field, and partitions were used to separate the effects of root and shoot interactions. The cereals and peas were either planted at the same time, or one species was planted 10 days before the other. The origin of the N present in each species was determined by applying N fertilizer labelled with 15N.Both cultivars of peas had greater shoot and root competitive abilities than wheat or barley, probably because of their larger seed size; leafy peas had greater shoot and root competitive abilities than semi-leafless peas. Sowing peas after cereals reduced their competitive ability.The relative yield total (RYT) of cereal-pea mixtures, based on total biomass, averaged 1·6 when only the root systems interacted, and 1·4 when only the shoot systems interacted, but did not differ significantly from 10 when both root and shoot systems interacted. RYT values were greater when peas were grown with wheat, rather than with barley, and when peas were sown at the same time as the cereals.Shoot competition from peas increased the N% of cereals, but substantially reduced their total N content, because biomass yield was reduced. Shoot competition from cereals had no effect on the N% of peas, and only slightly reduced their total N content. Shoot competition between cereals and peas had no significant effect upon the proportion of N derived from various sources by either cereals or peas.Root competition from peas significantly reduced both the N% and total N content of cereals. Root competition from cereals had little effect on the N% of peas, but significantly reduced their total N content and increased the proportion of N derived from rhizobial fixation from 76 to 94%. Since cereals and peas largely used different sources of N, resource complementarity for N was probably an important component of intercropping advantage, when the roots of cereals and peas shared soil resources.


2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. R. Hunter ◽  
A. Jamieson ◽  
V. A. I. Huvenne ◽  
U. Witte

Abstract. The Whittard Canyon is a branching submarine canyon on the Celtic continental margin, which may act as a conduit for sediment and organic matter (OM) transport from the European continental slope to the abyssal sea floor. In situ stable-isotope labelling experiments were conducted in the eastern and western branches of the Whittard Canyon, testing short-term (3–7 days) responses of sediment communities to deposition of nitrogen-rich marine (Thalassiosira weissflogii) and nitrogen-poor terrigenous (Triticum aestivum) phytodetritus. 13C and 15N labels were traced into faunal biomass and bulk sediments, and the 13C label traced into bacterial polar lipid fatty acids (PLFAs). Isotopic labels penetrated to 5 cm sediment depth, with no differences between stations or experimental treatments (substrate or time). Macrofaunal assemblage structure differed between the eastern and western canyon branches. Following deposition of marine phytodetritus, no changes in macrofaunal feeding activity were observed between the eastern and western branches, with little change between 3 and 7 days. Macrofaunal C and N uptake was substantially lower following deposition of terrigenous phytodetritus with feeding activity governed by a strong N demand. Bacterial C uptake was greatest in the western branch of the Whittard Canyon, but feeding activity decreased between 3 and 7 days. Bacterial processing of marine and terrigenous OM were similar to the macrofauna in surficial (0–1 cm) sediments. However, in deeper sediments bacteria utilised greater proportions of terrigenous OM. Bacterial biomass decreased following phytodetritus deposition and was negatively correlated to macrofaunal feeding activity. Consequently, this study suggests that macrofaunal–bacterial interactions influence benthic C cycling in the Whittard Canyon, resulting in differential fates for marine and terrigenous OM.


2008 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 57 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. PAASONEN-KIVEKÄS ◽  
M. YLI-HALLA

Previous studies suggest that nitrogen (N) loads from acid sulphate soil (AS soil) catchments in Finland are higher than those from other agricultural catchments. This study seeks to explain this difference by measuring carbon (C) and N profiles in both an AS soil and a neighbouring non AS soil. In Lapua, western Finland, two adjacent fields (Dystric Cambisols), subjected to similar agricultural practices, were analysed to the depth of 240 cm for pH, total C (Ctot), total N (Ntot), NH4 +-N, NO3 --N, sulphur and bulk density. Field A, an AS soil, contained sulfidic materials and 0.9% Ctot below 170 cm, while Field B, not an AS soil, had 0.3% Ctot in the subsoil and no sulfides. In these soils, the groundwater level declined below 200 cm in summer, subjecting the subsoil to oxidation. This study revealed large stocks of Ctot, Ntot, and mineral N in the subsoil, particularly in the AS soil. At 20–240 cm, Field A contained 292 tons of Ctot ha-1 and 25 tons of Ntot ha-1, while Field B had 152 tons of Ctot ha-1 and 11 tons of Ntot ha-1. Field A contained up to 435 kg of mineral N ha-1 in autumn, while in Field B there was only up to 137 kg of mineral N ha-1. In Field A, NH4 +-N dominated strongly, while NO3 --N dominated in Field B. It is suggested that the greater concentration of mineral N in the AS soil is due to 1) a greater stock of total (mineralizable) N and 2) the slower rate of nitrification resulting in substantial NH4 +-N retention on cation exchange sites.;


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