Mixed planting of subtropical Chinese fir in South China improves microbial carbon source metabolism and functional diversity through the accumulation of nutrients from soil aggregates.

Introduction: Soil microbial functional traits are key indicators of soil microbial ecological traits; however, how mixing patterns of Chinese fir and broadleaved trees drive soil microbial functional trait variation at the aggregate scale and how soil microbial functional traits are linked to soil fertility factors have largely not been determined.

Methods: In this study, soil from the 0-20 cm depths in three Chinese fir plantations was collected, and the soil samples were separated into >2 mm (large macro-aggregate), 0.25-2 mm (macro-aggregate) and <0.

Leaf Traits Explain the Growth Variation and Nitrogen Response of × and in Mixed Culture.

Mixed cultivation with legumes may alleviate the nitrogen (N) limitation of monoculture . However, how leaf functional traits respond to N in mixed cultivation with legumes and how they affect tree growth are unclear. Thus, this study investigated the response of leaf functional traits of × ( × ) and () to mixed culture and N application, as well as the regulatory pathways of key traits on seedling growth.

Effects of Elevated Aluminum Concentration and Distribution on Root Damage, Cell Wall Polysaccharides, and Nutrient Uptake in Different Tolerant Clones.

Aluminized acidic soil can damage roots and limit tree growth, hindering the productivity of plantations. At present, the negative impacts of elevated aluminum (Al) on the cell morphology and cell wall properties of root tip are still unclear. In order to investigate the responses of two different tolerant clones, (G4) and × (G9), to Al toxicity, seedling roots were treated hydroponically with an Al solution, and the polysaccharide content in the root tip cell wall and the characteristics of programmed cell death were studied.

[Distribution of phosphorus fractions in soil aggregates in Chinese fir plantations with different stand ages].

Exploring the distribution of phosphorus (P) fractionsin soil aggregates is helpful to improve soil P availa-bility during Chinese fir planting. In this study, soil samples were collected in the 0-20 cm soil layer from Chinese fir plantations with different stand ages (9 a, 17 a, and 26 a) and one nearby abandoned land (CK) in Rongshui County, Guangxi, China. Soil aggregates were classified into >2 mm, 1-2 mm, 0.

The physiological and molecular mechanisms of N transfer in Eucalyptus and Dalbergia odorifera intercropping systems using root proteomics.

Background: The mixing of Eucalyptus with N-fixing trees species (NFTs) is a frequently successful and sustainable cropping practice. In this study, we evaluated nitrogen (N) transfer and conducted a proteomic analysis of the seedlings of Eucalyptus urophylla × E. grandis (Eucalyptus) and an NFT, Dalbergia (D.

The Abundance and Structure of Deadwood: A Comparison of Mixed and Thinned Chinese Fir Plantations.

The sustainability of coniferous monoculture plantations is facing challenges with respect to yields, ecology, and biodiversity. Conversion of monocultural coniferous plantations into mixed stands using thinning or direct mixed planting is widely considered to be a key strategy for overcoming these challenges and transforming the characteristics of plantations on a regional scale. Substantial amounts of deadwood may be produced in mixed forests (MFs); this material is important for evaluating and modifying forest management methods, understanding the dynamics of forest stands, and achieving biodiversity conservation.

[Effects of stand types on the changes of aggregate-related organic carbon and nutrients in surface soil].

Exploring the microscopic characterization of organic carbon and nutrients in surface soil of different Chinese fir stands at aggregate scale can lay a theoretical foundation for promoting the sustainable use of soil resources with implications for improving soil health and fertility. We mea-sured the concentrations of soil organic C (OC), total nitrogen (TN), alkali-hydrolyzed nitrogen (AN), Olsen-P (AP), and available K (AK) in aggregate fractions collected from 0-10 cm and 10-20 cm soil layers in three different stands, mixed plantation of and (Ⅰ), and (Ⅱ) and pure plantation of (Ⅲ) respectively. Soil aggregates were classified into >2, 0.

[Responses of soil aggregate-associated organic carbon and nutrients to tea cultivation age in southern Guangxi, China].

Understanding the response mechanism of soil aggregate-associated organic carbon (OC) and nutrients to tea cultivation age can lay a theoretical foundation for improving soil fertility, ensuring soil health, and promoting sustainable utilization of soil resources in the tea plantations. In this study, concentrations of soil OC and nutrient were analyzed in >2, 2-1, 1-0.25, and <0.

Effect of Low pH and Aluminum Toxicity on the Photosynthetic Characteristics of Different Fast-Growing Eucalyptus Vegetatively Propagated Clones.

Knowing how acid soils and aluminum in soils may limit the growth of Eucalyptus trees in plantations is important because these plantations grow in many tropical and subtropical regions. Seedlings of four vegetatively propagated Eucalyptus clones, E. grandis × E.