Invasion of clear-cuttings by the actinorhizal plant Comptoniaperegrina

1986 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 872-874 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. Q. Hendrickson

Three years after harvesting a mixed conifer–hardwood forest in Ontario, the density of sweet fern (Comptoniaperegrina (L.) Coult.) was far greater on a whole-tree harvest site (logging slash removed) than on an adjacent conventional harvest site (logging slash present). These differences were related to the degree of site disturbance, particularly forest floor removal. Nodule fixation rates also appeared to reflect the degree of disturbance, being highest in plants growing along a logging road where the sandy, nitrogen-poor mineral soil was exposed, and exceptionally low on the conventional harvest site (0.67 μmol C2H4 g dry weight−1 h−1). Overall, acetylene reduction activity showed a significant negative correlation (r = −0.77, p < 0.001) with total N.

2000 ◽  
Vol 80 (3) ◽  
pp. 507-514 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sylvain St-Laurent ◽  
Rock Ouimet ◽  
Sylvie Tremblay ◽  
Louis Archambault

Following the Rio and Kyoto protocols, forest sequestration of organic C (Corg) appears to be among the measures to reduce atmospheric C. In this context, we assessed the evolution of soils' reserves of Corg after complete whole-tree forest harvesting in the balsam fir–yellow birch forest of eastern Quebec. The experimental design consisted of eight plots in mature stands, and 10 plots in 7-, 12-, and 22-yr-old clearcuts in the "Seigneurie du Lac Métis", located 80 km south-east of Rimouski, Quebec, Canada. The soil type was an Orthic Humo-ferric Podzol. Major Corg losses occured in the forest floor of the 7-, 12- and 22-yr-old harvested plots compared with mature stands. The FH horizon of harvested plots showed a loss of 44% (−30.5 t ha−1) in dry weight and 13.5% (−62.1 g kg–1) in Corg content between 7 and 22-yr-old harvested plots. More than half the Corg content of the forest floor was lost in that time (−52% or −16.6 t ha−1). The Corg stock of the L horizon were lowered only for the 7-yr-old treatment (2.5 t ha−1) compared with mature stands (4.9 t ha−1). No significant differences in the Corg stocked in the first 30 m of the mineral soil were found between treatments. It appears that the forest floor of balsam fir–yellow birch stands has become a source of Corg for at least 22 yr after forest harvesting. Key words: Forest harvesting, soil, organic carbon, forest floor


2008 ◽  
Vol 53 (No. 2) ◽  
pp. 65-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.J. Miao ◽  
X.Z. Han ◽  
X.B. Liu ◽  
Y.F. Qiao

The effect of three seedling treatments: T<sub>0</sub>, normal germination; T<sub>1</sub>, cotyledons removed; T<sub>2</sub>, cotyledons removed 5 days earlier than in T<sub>1</sub>; and two phosphorus levels (P<sub>0</sub> and P<sub>30</sub>) on nodulation and nodule function in soybean [<i>Glycine max</i> (L.) Merr.] were investigated in nutrient solution culture. The number of nodules formed at P<sub>0</sub> was in the order T<sub>2</sub> > T<sub>0</sub> > T<sub>1</sub>, but it was T<sub>0</sub> > T<sub>2</sub> > T<sub>1</sub> at P<sub>30</sub>. Nodule dry weight per plant had the same tendency as the nodule number. Nodule size (dry weight per nodule) in seedlings ranged from 0.601 to 1.089 mg in the order T<sub>0</sub> > T<sub>1</sub> > T<sub>2</sub>, regardless of P level. For example, nodule size in T<sub>0</sub> was larger by 86% and 52% than T<sub>2</sub> at P<sub>0</sub> and P<sub>30</sub>, respectively. Furthermore, regardless of P level, a specific acetylene reduction activity (ARA, &micro;M C<sub>2</sub>H<sub>4</sub>/h/g nodule) increased with P content in seedlings, but no significant difference was found (<i>P</i> < 0.05). Leghemoglobin (Lb) content was not significantly affected by P level; however, seedlings (T<sub>0</sub> and T<sub>1</sub>) significantly affected the Lb content per unit plant biomass (<i>P</i> < 0.05). All these results suggest that seedling P content plays a key role in nodulation and nodule function of soybean.


Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 287 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khin Myat Soe ◽  
Aung Zaw Htwe ◽  
Kyi Moe ◽  
Abiko Tomomi ◽  
Takeo Yamakawa

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is one of the world’s main leguminous crops that provide chief source of food for humans. In the present study, we characterized thirty isolates of indigenous chickpea rhizobia from Myanmar based on the sequence analysis of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene. The sequence analysis confirmed that all isolates were categorized and identified as the genus Mesorhizobium and they were conspecific with M. plurifarium, M. muliense, M. tianshanense, and M. sp. This is the first report describing M. muliense, M. tianshanense, and M. plurifurium from different geographical distribution of indigenous mesorhizobia of chickpea in Myanmar. In order to substitute the use of chemical fertilizers in legume production, there is a need for the production of Biofertilizers with rhizobial inoculants. The effectiveness of Myanmar Mesorhizobim strains isolated from soil samples of major chickpea growing areas of Myanmar for plant growth and nitrogen fixation were studied in pot experiments. The nodule dry weight and acetylene reduction activity of the plant inoculated with Mesorhizobium tianshanense SalCP19 was significantly higher than the other tested isolates in Yezin-4 chickpea variety. But, Mesorhizobium sp. SalCP17 was showed high level of acetylene reduction activity per plant in Yezin-6 chickpea variety.


1984 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 155-162 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. A. Radwan ◽  
D. S. DeBell ◽  
S. R. Webster ◽  
S. P. Gessel

Effects of different sources of fertilizer N on selected chemical characteristics of soils and foliage, and on growth of western hemlock (Tsugaheterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.) were compared at three different sites in western Washington. Treatments were the following: untreated control (O), ammonium nitrate (AN), ammonium sulfate (AS), calcium nitrate (CN), urea (U), and urea – ammonium sulfate (US). Fertilizers were applied in the spring (April–May) at 224 kg N/ha. Forest floor and mineral soil, to a depth of 5 cm, and foliage were sampled periodically for 2 years. Height and diameter of selected trees were measured periodically for 4 years. Results are reported mostly for two sites, one in the Cascade Range and one in the coastal zone in western Washington. The pH of forest floor and mineral soil varied by treatment, and the two urea fertilizers caused substantial initial rise. Effects on soil and foliar nutrients varied by fertilizer, sampling date, and location. In general, all fertilizers increased NH4 N, N03 N, and total N in the forest floor and mineral soil, and total N in the foliage. Also, with some exceptions, especially with foliar P in the Cascade site, fertilization reduced foliar content of important nutrients. At the Cascade site, 4-year growth responses in height, basal area, and volume averaged over all fertilizers were 30, 34, and 32%, respectively. AN, AS, CN, and urea resulted in height growth significantly (P < 0.20) higher than that of the control. Significant basal area growth and volume-growth responses were produced by AN, CN, and US. No significant height-growth response to any fertilizer occurred in the coastal stand; basal area growth and volume-growth responses averaged 27 and 21%, respectively, and best response occurred with urea. These results suggest that the low and inconsistent response of hemlock to N fertilization cannot be improved by applying some N fertilizer other than urea. Factors limiting response to N fertilization may be associated with availability of native N and other nutrients or other characteristics of hemlock sites and stands.


2001 ◽  
Vol 47 (6) ◽  
pp. 509-518 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvia Batista ◽  
Ana I Catalán ◽  
Ismael Hernández-Lucas ◽  
Esperanza Martínez-Romero ◽  
O Mario Aguilar ◽  
...  

A defined insertion mutant of a gene encoding a homolog of the rhizobial C4-dicarboxylate permease (dctA) was constructed in Rhizobium tropici strain CIAT899. This mutant (GA1) was unable to grow on fumarate or malate; however, in contrast with other rhizobial dctA mutants, it retained a limited ability to grow on succinate with ammonia as a nitrogen source. Our results suggest the presence of a novel succinate-specific transport system in R. tropici. Biochemical characterization indicated that this alternative transport system in GA1 is active and dependent on an energized membrane. It was also induced by succinate and aspartate, and was repressed by glucose and glycerol. Bean plants inoculated with GA1 showed a reduced nitrogen-fixing ability, achieving only 29% of the acetylene reduction activity determined in CIAT899 strain nodules, 33 days after inoculation. Also, bean plants inoculated with GA1 had reduced shoot dry weight compared with plants inoculated with the wild-type strain.Key words: succinate transport, Rhizobium tropici, C4-dicarboxylate uptake.


1984 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
P Hopmans ◽  
LA Douglas ◽  
PM Chalk

Subterranean clover (Trifolium subrerraneum L.) was grown under controlled environmental conditions in pots containing a variety of soils. Non-destructive assays were used to measure rates of acetylene (C2H2) reduction by the plants. Soil mineral nitrogen (N) status and, to a lesser extent, soil salinity were found to be the most important soil properties relating to the development of C2H2reduction activity in subterranean clover. Application of KNO3 to pots resulted in an immediate decrease in the rate of C2H2reduction. A linear relationship was found between the loss in C,H, reduction activity and the amount of N applied up to 40 mg N kg-1 soil. Addition of salt (NaCl) to pots caused an immediate decrease in C2H2 reduction activity, followed by a gradual recovery. A linear relationship was found between the loss in C2H2 reduction activity and the level of soil salinity induced by salt addition. The loss in C2H2reduction \vas reflected in the lower total N content of the plants when soil salinity levels exceeded 4 mS cm-1.


1987 ◽  
Vol 17 (12) ◽  
pp. 1557-1564 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. D. Kabzems ◽  
K. Klinka

Previous attempts to characterize soil nutrient regimes of forest ecosystems have been qualitative evaluations utilizing vegetation and (or) topographic features, morphological soil properties, and mineralogy of soil parent materials. The objective of this study was to describe and provide initial data for quantitative classification of soil nutrient regimes in some Douglas-fir ecosystems on southern Vancouver Island. A multivariate classification using forest floor plus mineral soil mineralizable N and exchangeable Mg quantities was proposed for the four nutrient regimes (poor, medium, rich, and very rich) recognized in this study. Significant differences in mineralizable and total N existed between the four identified soil nutrient regimes. The previous N fertilization of two study sites did not seem to change soil N status sufficiently to alter the classification. The differences in nutrient availability were more distinct when forest floor and mineral soil properties, expressed on an areal basis, were summed. There were no significant differences in exchangeable Ca and Mg for the poor and medium soil nutrient regimes. The humus form of the forest floor was an important characteristic for identifying soil nutrient regimes in the field; however, the nutrient quantities of the forest floor reflected differences in bulk density and depth and did not effectively distinguish between regimes.


1992 ◽  
Vol 38 (6) ◽  
pp. 577-583 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. K. Ladha ◽  
Minviluz Garcia ◽  
R. P. Pareek ◽  
G. Rarivoson

Six experiments, two each in the phytotron, greenhouse, and field, were conducted to assess the contribution of nitrogenase activity (acetylene reduction) by stem nodules in the presence and absence of root nodules of Sesbania rostrata (Brem & Oberm). In a greenhouse experiment, the effect of detaching already formed aerial stem nodules on the restoration of root nodules and nitrogenase activity was studied. The field experiment compared nodulation and acetylene-reduction activity by dual-nodulating S. rostrata and root-nodulating Sesbania cannabina. Acetylene-reduction activity expressed per gram of nodule dry weight was higher for stem nodules than for root nodules. Root nodule dry weight and acetylene-reduction activity failed to increase after stem inoculation, but root nodule dry weight and acetylene-reduction activity increased several fold within 15 days of detachment of aerial stem nodules. Stem nodulation, which occurred without inoculation under lowland field condition, suppressed root nodulation, thus accounting for more than 75% of total nitrogenase activity. Sesbania rostrata showed higher acetylene-reduction activity than S. cannabina. In dual-nodulating plants, root and stem nodules appeared to strike a balance in competition for energy, which may be controlled by stem nodulation. Key words: Sesbania rostrata, Azorhizobium caulinodans, stem nodule, root nodule, acetylene-reducing activity.


HortScience ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
D.J. Makus

`Jersey Giant' asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.), grown in an Enders silt loam mineral soil, was given 80 kg supplemental N/ha either before or after the harvest season. Neither N application timing affected spear yield, objective color, or pigment concentration. Early supplemental N application decreased K concentration in white spears and Ca concentration in green spears. Green asparagus contained higher total-N, K, P, S, Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, Al, Mn, and Cu concentrations but a lower soluble solids concentration (SSC) and NO3 than did white asparagus. As the cutting season progressed, spear SSC and S, Ca, NO3 (NO3 in white spears only), Zn, Mn, and Cu (Cu in white spears only) concentrations decreased, but spear K and Al (Al in white spears only) increased on a dry-weight basis. Fall residual soil NO3 levels were not affected by N application timing, but organic matter (percent) was lower in soil that received early supplemental N.


1998 ◽  
Vol 78 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Johnston ◽  
Julie Elliott

The Boreal Mixedwood Ecosystem Study near Thunder Bay, Ontario is a multi-disciplinary investigation of the impacts of harvesting and fire on the structure and function of a boreal mixed-wood ecosystem. The fire component comprises a set of treatments in which fire severity was manipulated by adjusting fuel loadings through a variety of harvesting techniques, and also included fire in standing timber. Intensive fuel sampling before and after the fire enabled detailed determinations of fuel consumption, heat output and forest floor reduction. Nutrient concentrations in ash, soil, and plant tissue following the fire were compared with fire severity in order to quantify potential nutrient inputs and their relationship to the amount of biomass consumed during the fire. Forest floor and woody fuel consumption varied significantly among treatments, with the most important factor being whether or not the stand had been harvested previous to the fire. The pH was highest and P concentrations among the lowest in the ash of unharvested blocks. Nutrient concentrations of the remaining forest floor and upper mineral soil were weakly related to the treatments. Forest floor P concentrations were highest on whole-tree harvested and lowest on uncut blocks. Whole-tree harvested blocks also had the highest pH values in forest floor and mineral soil. Concentrations of N, P, and Mg in the foliage of Populus tremuloides Michx. and Rubus idaeus L. were higher on unharvested burned than cut and burned plots, and were negatively correlated with the depth of forest floor reduction. These results indicate that fire severity plays a role in determining the extent of nutrient enrichment following fire, and may be important in influencing long-term site productivity. Key words: Fire severity, forest fire, nutrient cycles, soil chemistry, fire ecology


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