TY - JOUR
T1 - Annual growth progression, nutrient transformation, and carbon storage in tissues of Cunninghamia lanceolata monoculture in relation to soil quality indicators influenced by intraspecific competition intensity
AU - Farooq, Taimoor Hassan
AU - Shakoor, Awais
AU - Rashid, Muhammad Haroon U.
AU - Zhang, Saiyang
AU - Wu, Pengfei
AU - Yan, Wende
PY - 2021
Y1 - 2021
N2 - Purpose: Nutrient distribution among tree tissues influence the growth, yield, and persistence of trees. One of the factors which can affect the nutrient concentrations can be stand density because competition for growth space and below-ground resources play a significant role in the productivity of plantation forests. Methods: This study analyzed the impact of planting density and soil quality indicators on the annual growth process, nutrient uptake, nutrient use efficiency, and carbon storage in mid-aged Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata) stands established at low, intermediate, and high-density. Stem density was 1450 trees hm2 (2.36 x 2.36 m spacing), 2460 trees hm2 (1.83 x 1.83 m spacing), and 3950 trees hm2 (1.44 x 1.44 m spacing) in low-, intermediate-, and high-density stands, respectively. Results: Stand density (R2 = 0.812) was the primal factor responsible for altering nutrients dynamics in tree components, while soil quality (R2 = 0.572) indicators play a secondary role. Across the years, the diameter and volume annual growth increment were more significant in the low-density, whereas height growth increment was more prominent in the intermediate-density. The highest carbon storage (33.78 t hm−2) was observed in the intermediate-density stand. Plant nutrient concentrations and nutrient use efficiency varied significantly among different densities (p<0.05). Significant associations of soil properties with biomass, height, and diameter were observed in intermediate-density. Conclusions: These patterns were co-regulated by planting density, tree growth rate, and soil nutrient status and reflected the plant tissue’s nutrient status, which could provide valuable information for sustainable nutrient management practices in tree plantations for maximizing productivity, yield, and long-term sustainability.
AB - Purpose: Nutrient distribution among tree tissues influence the growth, yield, and persistence of trees. One of the factors which can affect the nutrient concentrations can be stand density because competition for growth space and below-ground resources play a significant role in the productivity of plantation forests. Methods: This study analyzed the impact of planting density and soil quality indicators on the annual growth process, nutrient uptake, nutrient use efficiency, and carbon storage in mid-aged Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata) stands established at low, intermediate, and high-density. Stem density was 1450 trees hm2 (2.36 x 2.36 m spacing), 2460 trees hm2 (1.83 x 1.83 m spacing), and 3950 trees hm2 (1.44 x 1.44 m spacing) in low-, intermediate-, and high-density stands, respectively. Results: Stand density (R2 = 0.812) was the primal factor responsible for altering nutrients dynamics in tree components, while soil quality (R2 = 0.572) indicators play a secondary role. Across the years, the diameter and volume annual growth increment were more significant in the low-density, whereas height growth increment was more prominent in the intermediate-density. The highest carbon storage (33.78 t hm−2) was observed in the intermediate-density stand. Plant nutrient concentrations and nutrient use efficiency varied significantly among different densities (p<0.05). Significant associations of soil properties with biomass, height, and diameter were observed in intermediate-density. Conclusions: These patterns were co-regulated by planting density, tree growth rate, and soil nutrient status and reflected the plant tissue’s nutrient status, which could provide valuable information for sustainable nutrient management practices in tree plantations for maximizing productivity, yield, and long-term sustainability.
UR - https://hdl.handle.net/1959.7/uws:71396
U2 - 10.1007/s42729-021-00595-w
DO - 10.1007/s42729-021-00595-w
M3 - Article
SN - 0718-9508
VL - 21
SP - 3146
EP - 3158
JO - Journal of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition
JF - Journal of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition
IS - 4
ER -