Mechanisms of interference between hay-scented fern and black cherry

1993 ◽  
Vol 23 (10) ◽  
pp. 2059-2069 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen B. Horsley
Keyword(s):  
Soil Water ◽  
Soil Nitrogen ◽  
Nitrate Nitrogen ◽  
Soil Phosphorus ◽  
Photon Flux ◽  
Black Cherry ◽  
Soil Nitrate ◽  
Tree Roots ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Overstory Tree

Hay-scented fern (Dennstaedtiapunctilobula Michx.) interferes with establishment of black cherry (Prunusserotina Ehrh.) in the Allegheny hardwood forest of Pennsylvania. In stands where fern cover is dense, black cherry seeds germinate, but seedlings do not become established. Allelopathy was eliminated as the cause of interference in previous work; the present studies evaluated the resources of soil water, soil phosphorus, soil nitrogen, and light. The impact of hay-scented fern on the level of each resource, the availability of each resource to black cherry seedlings, and the growth response of black cherry seedlings to changes in resource availability were evaluated. Hay-scented fern had little effect on soil moisture levels, nor did it affect plant availability of soil water. The level of soil phosphorus was not reduced by the presence of hay-scented fern nor was phosphorus availability to black cherry seedlings less when they grew with fern. Both the speed and degree of mycorrhizal infection and the foliar phosphorus concentrations were similar in seedlings growing with or without fern cover. Hay-scented fern had no effect on rates of ammonium- or nitrate-nitrogen production nor was the soil concentration of ammonium affected. The presence of hay-scented fern significantly reduced the soil nitrate-nitrogen concentration in the first year after a shelterwood seed cut, but not in the second. Overstory tree roots were more important than hay-scented fern in removing soil nitrate. Availability of soil nitrogen was unaffected by the presence of hay-scented fern or overstory tree roots. Black cherry seedlings grew more where ferns were absent, regardless of whether overstory tree roots were present or absent. Competitive reduction in light was the key mechanism of fern interference with black cherry. Hay-scented fern caused dramatic reductions in both the photon flux density and the ratio of red to far-red light beneath it. Black cherry seedlings survived and grew poorly in the presence of fern foliage shade. Survival and growth similar to that above fern could be restored by restraining fern foliage, allowing light to reach black cherry seedlings from above.

Fallow management, soil water, plant-available soil nitrogen and grain sorghum production in south west Queensland

1992 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 473 ◽  
Author(s):  
G Gibson ◽  
BJ Radford ◽  
RGH Nielsen
Keyword(s):  
Soil Water ◽  
Nitrate Nitrogen ◽  
Soil Nitrate ◽  
Zero Tillage ◽  
Fallow Management ◽  
South West ◽  
Primary Tillage ◽  
Grain Nitrogen ◽  
Texture Contrast ◽  
Gypsum Application

The effects of tillage frequency (conventional, reduced and zero), primary tillage implement (disc, blade and chisel plough), stubble management (retention and removal), gypsum application, and paraplowing were examined with respect to soil water storage, soil nitrate accumulation, crop establishment, crop growth, grain yield and grain nitrogen content for 4 successive sorghum crops on a sodic, texture-contrast soil in south west Queensland. Retention of sorghum stubble (v. removal) produced an increase in mean yield of sorghum grain of 393 kg/ha, due to increased soil water extraction and increased water use efficiency by the following crop. The highest mean yield occurred after reduced blade tillage with stubble retained. Zero tillage with stubble removed gave the lowest mean grain yield. Zero tillage always had the lowest quantity of soil nitrate-nitrogen at sowing. In one fallow, increased aggressiveness of primary tillage (disc v. blade plough) increased the quantity of nitrate-nitrogen in the top 60 cm of soil at sowing. These effects on available soil nitrogen did not result in corresponding differences in grain nitrogen content. Results indicate that for optimum fallow management on this texture-contrast soil in south west Queensland, sorghum residues should be retained, tillage frequency should be reduced, but not to zero, blade ploughing should be preferred to discing, and gypsum application should not be practised.

Effect of plant growth and form of nitrogen fertilizer on denitrification from four South Australian soils

Soil Research ◽  
1972 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 183 ◽  
Author(s):  
RC Stefanson
Keyword(s):  
Nitrous Oxide ◽  
Plant Growth ◽  
Soil Nitrogen ◽  
Nitrate Nitrogen ◽  
Ammonium Nitrogen ◽  
Soil Nitrate ◽  
Calcareous Sand ◽  
Nitrogen Gas ◽  
Brown Soil ◽  
Growth Chambers

In measuring losses of volatile nitrogen in sealed growth chambers, four major wheat-growing soils were used, namely, a mallisol, a red-brown earth, a calcareous sand, and a grey-brown soil of heavy texture. The rate of loss varied from 1 to 15 mg nitrogen/(kg soil/week) when nitrate nitrogen was applied to the soil; when ammonium nitrogen was used, losses were 1-4 mg nitrogen/(kg soil/week) over a 6-week period. The major component of these losses was nitrogen gas with lesser quantities of nitrous oxide. Both gases were produced by biological denitrification of soil nitrate. This was confirmed with an incubation experiment which used a portion of the same samples of soil. When nitrate nitrogen was applied to the soil, denitrification was increased by increasing soil water content and plant growth. These effects were greatest in the heavy textured soils. The application of ammonium nitrogen to the red-brown earth, mallisol, and grey-brown soil of heavy texture reduced the losses of soil nitrogen as nitrogen gas and nitrous oxide. Considerable losses of soil nitrogen were recorded for the calcareous sand when ammonium nitrogen was applied. Plant growth did not affect the losses of soil nitrogen from those soils receiving ammonium nitrogen.

Changes in soil nitrogen following different establishment procedures for Townsville stylo on a solodic soil in north-eastern Queensland

1972 ◽  
Vol 12 (56) ◽  
pp. 274 ◽  
Author(s):  
BJ Crack
Keyword(s):  
Total Nitrogen ◽  
Soil Nitrogen ◽  
Nitrate Nitrogen ◽  
Fertilizer Application ◽  
Soil Nitrate ◽  
Soil Total Nitrogen ◽  
North East ◽  
Stylosanthes Humilis ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
Townsville Stylo

The effect of the legume Townsville stylo (Stylosanthes humilis) on soil nitrogen status was studied under mown plots with different conditions of establishment and fertilizer application on a solodic soil in north- east Queensland. Increase in soil total nitrogen 0-7.5 cm of 180 kg N per ha and total nitrogen accession (plant and soil) of 460 kg N per ha was measured over a four year period where the legume was sown into existing spear grass and fertilized with superphosphate at 375 kg per ha per year. Soil nitrogen increases did not occur until the pasture was legume dominant and main increases took place where superphosphate was applied. Under these conditions there was also a dry season accumulation of soil nitrate nitrogen.

scholarly journals Effect of thinning on the amount of mineral nitrogen

2018 ◽  
Vol 64 (No. 7) ◽  
pp. 289-295
Author(s):  
Holík Ladislav ◽  
Rosíková Jana ◽  
Vranová Valerie
Keyword(s):  
Nitrogen Content ◽  
Soil Nitrogen ◽  
Nitrate Nitrogen ◽  
Ammonium Nitrogen ◽  
The Other ◽  
Small Decrease ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Given ◽  
Soil Nitrogen Cycle ◽  
Insight Into

The soil nitrogen cycle and the dynamics of its transformation are closely related to the functioning of the forest ecosystem. This cycle, and the availability of nitrogen as a necessary nutrient in the soil, can be influenced by the process of thinning. The aim of this study is to describe the impact of silvicultural measures on the content of ammonium and nitrate nitrogen in forest soil. Attention is paid to the organic (spruce treatments) and organomineral horizon (beech treatments) in which the transformation of soil nitrogen is most pronounced. Spruce treatments at the Rájec-Němčice area and beech stands at the Březina area, both in the region of Drahanská vrchovina (Czech Republic), were selected for the experiments. Two variants of thinning thinning from below and thinning from above, were performed in the spruce treatments, and thinning from above was performed in the beech treatments. Control variants with no silvicultural measures were defined in both treatments. The amount of ammonium nitrogen in the spruce treatments with thinning from above was in most cases higher than in the other variants. On the contrary, in variant with thinning from below, the ammonium nitrogen content decreased. In terms of the nitrate nitrogen content, the values were generally higher for variants with silvicultural measures than for the control variants. In the beech treatments, the amount of ammonium nitrogen increased and, on the contrary, there was a small decrease in the amount of nitrate nitrogen due to the effect of thinning from above. The differences between thinning from above and the control variants in the beech treatments were less noticeable than in the spruce treatments. Overall, however, it can be said that the nitrogen content available to the vegetation increased. The results of the given experiment provide insight into the trends of nitrogen mineralization intensity in stands in which silvicultural measures are performed.

Comparative study of the impact of two mechanical perforation densities on the behavior of a sandy soil

2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-48
Author(s):  
S. Chehaibi ◽  
K. Abrougui ◽  
F. Haouala
Keyword(s):  
Soil Water ◽  
Sandy Soil ◽  
Water Infiltration ◽  
Cone Penetration ◽  
Initial State ◽  
Soil Water Infiltration ◽  
Good Improvement ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Positive Effect ◽  
Resistance To Penetration

The effects of mechanical perforation densities by extracting soil cores through an aerator Vertidrain with a working width of 1.6 m and equipped with hollow tines spaced of 65 mm, were studied on a sandy soil of a grassy sward in the Golf Course El Kantaoui in Sousse (Tunisia). The mechanical aeration was performed at two densities: 250 and 350 holes/m2. The cone penetration resistance and soil water infiltration were measured. These parameters were performed at initial state before aeration (E0) and then on the 10th, 20th and 30th day after aeration. These results showed that perforation density of 350 holes/m2 had a positive effect on the soil by reducing its cone resistance to penetration compared to the initial state (Rp = 14.8 daN/cm2). At 5 cm depth the decrease in resistance to penetration was 34% and 43% on the 10th and 20th day after aeration, respectively. However, on the 30th day after aeration the soil resistance to penetration tended to grow and its value compared to the initial state decreased only by 21 and 26%, respectively, at 5 and 15 cm of depth only by 10% and 9% with 250 holes/m2 density. The soil water infiltration made a good improvement after aeration compared to the initial state. This parameter increased from 4.8 cm/h to 8.3, 10.9 and 13.1 cm/h with 250 holes/m2 density and to 10, 12.9 and 14.8 cm/h with 350 holes/m2 density on the 10th, 20th and 30th day following the aeration.

scholarly journals How Does Radial Growth of Water-Stressed Populations of European Beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) Trees Vary under Multiple Drought Events?

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 129
Author(s):  
Tamalika Chakraborty ◽  
Albert Reif ◽  
Andreas Matzarakis ◽  
Somidh Saha
Keyword(s):  
Soil Water ◽  
Fagus Sylvatica ◽  
Tree Growth ◽  
Radial Growth ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
European Beech ◽  
Canopy Openness ◽  
Fagus Sylvatica L ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Neighborhood Competition

European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) trees are becoming vulnerable to drought, with a warming climate. Existing studies disagree on how radial growth varies in European beech in response to droughts. We aimed to find the impact of multiple droughts on beech trees’ annual radial growth at their ecological drought limit created by soil water availability in the forest. Besides, we quantified the influence of competition and canopy openness on the mean basal area growth of beech trees. We carried out this study in five near-natural temperate forests in three localities of Germany and Switzerland. We quantified available soil water storage capacity (AWC) in plots laid in the transition zone from oak to beech dominated forests. The plots were classified as ‘dry’ (AWC < 60 mL) and ‘less-dry’ (AWC > 60 mL). We performed dendroecological analyses starting from 1951 in continuous and discontinuous series to study the influence of climatic drought (i.e., precipitation-potential evapotranspiration) on the radial growth of beech trees in dry and less-dry plots. We used observed values for this analysis and did not use interpolated values from interpolated historical records in this study. We selected six drought events to study the resistance, recovery, and resilience of beech trees to drought at a discontinuous level. The radial growth was significantly higher in less-dry plots than dry plots. The increase in drought had reduced tree growth. Frequent climatic drought events resulted in more significant correlations, hence, increased the dependency of tree growth on AWC. We showed that the recovery and resilience to climatic drought were higher in trees in less-dry plots than dry plots, but it was the opposite for resistance. The resistance, recovery, and resilience of the trees were heterogeneous between the events of drought. Mean growth of beech trees (basal area increment) were negatively impacted by neighborhood competition and positively influenced by canopy openness. We emphasized that beech trees growing on soil with low AWC are at higher risk of growth decline. We concluded that changes in soil water conditions even at the microsite level could influence beech trees’ growth in their drought limit under the changing climate. Along with drought, neighborhood competition and lack of light can also reduce beech trees’ growth. This study will enrich the state of knowledge about the ongoing debate on the vulnerability of beech trees to drought in Europe.

scholarly journals The Mechanical Impact of Water Affected the Soil Physical Quality of a Loam Soil under Minimum Tillage and No-Tillage: An Assessment Using Beerkan Multi-Height Runs and BEST-Procedure

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 195 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mirko Castellini ◽  
Anna Maria Stellacci ◽  
Danilo Sisto ◽  
Massimo Iovino
Keyword(s):  
Soil Water ◽  
Water Retention ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Soil Management ◽  
Soil Water Retention ◽  
Physical Quality ◽  
Soil Physical Quality ◽  
Loam Soil ◽  
The Impact

The multi-height (low, L = 3 cm; intermediate, M = 100 cm; high, H = 200 cm) Beerkan run methodology was applied on both a minimum tilled (MT) (i.e., up to a depth of 30 cm) and a no-tilled (NT) bare loam soil, and the soil water retention curve was estimated by the BEST-steady algorithm. Three indicators of soil physical quality (SPQ), i.e., macroporosity (Pmac), air capacity (AC) and relative field capacity (RFC) were calculated to assess the impact of water pouring height under alternative soil management practices. Results showed that, compared to the reference low run, M and H runs affected both the estimated soil water retention curves and derived SPQ indicators. Generally, M–H runs significantly reduced the mean values of Pmac and AC and increased RFC for both MT and NT soil management practices. According to the guidelines for assessment of SPQ, the M and H runs: (i) worsened Pmac classification of both MT and NT soils; (ii) did not worsen AC classification, regardless of soil management parameters; (iii) worsened RFC classification of only NT soil, as a consequence of insufficient soil aeration. For both soil management techniques, a strong negative correlation was found between the Pmac and AC values and the gravitational potential energy, Ep, of the water used for the infiltration runs. A positive correlation was detected between RFC and Ep. The relationships were plausible from a soil physics point of view. NT soil has proven to be more resilient than MT. This study contributes toward testing simple and robust methods capable of quantifying soil degradation effects, due to intense rainfall events, under different soil management practices in the Mediterranean environment.

The Experiment on Soil Water Characteristic Curve Considering the Effect of Urea Concentration

2014 ◽  
Vol 919-921 ◽  
pp. 795-799
Author(s):  
Gai Qing Dai ◽  
Dong Fang Tian ◽  
Yao Ruan ◽  
Lang Tian ◽  
You Le Wang
Keyword(s):  
Water Content ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Characteristic Curve ◽  
Urea Concentration ◽  
Test Method ◽  
Materials Selection ◽  
Valuable Data ◽  
Soil Water Characteristic Curve ◽  
Concentration Test ◽  
The Impact

A new soil water characteristic curve (SWCC) experiment contemplating urea concentration is presented in the paper. We focus on the impact of the SWCC considering urea concentration test method for materials selection and introduction, experimental results, and finally, we have conducted some experiments of SWCC and obtained some valuable data which could affect urea concentration. By using linear fitting, an exponential function between water content and suction and urea concentration is established.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document