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Scientia Silvae Sinicae ›› 2020, Vol. 56 ›› Issue (11): 21-30.doi: 10.11707/j.1001-7488.20201103

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Effects of Understory Removal on Growth Rate of Middle-Aged Chinese Fir with Different DBH Classes

Yifan Chen1,2,Xiaoli Fu1,*,Huimin Wang1,2,Xiaoqin Dai1,Liang Kou1,Fusheng Chen3,Wensheng Bu3   

  1. 1. Qianyanzhou Ecological Research Station, Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing 100101
    2. College of Resource and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences Beijing 100049
    3. School of Forestry, Jiangxi Agricultural University Nanchang 330045
  • Received:2019-09-28 Online:2020-11-25 Published:2020-12-30
  • Contact: Xiaoli Fu

Abstract:

Objective: The study aims to determine how growth rate of middle-aged Chinese fir responds to understory management. Method: This study was conducted in the framework of an understory management experiment ofsubtropical middle-aged Chinese fir established in 2013. The plantation on the platform was established in 1998. Weset a paired-treatment experiment, with understory left intact in one treatment (CK) and understory removed for the other treatment(UR). By 2016, trees with DBH classes of 12-14 cm and 16-18 cm accounted for 42.6% in CK treatment and 77.1% in UR treatment. During 2016-2018, we studied the stoichiometry, resource acquisition and utilization efficiency, carbon allocation patterns (e.g., structural vs non-structural carbohydrates (NSC) allocations and NSC allocations among different organs) and relative growth rate (RGR) of trees withthese two DBHclasses. Result: The effects of understory removal on the RGR of middle-aged Chinese fir depended on DBH. The understory removal had no significant effect on the RGR of the Chinese fir with 12-14 cm DBH, however decreased the RGR of the Chinese fir with 16-18 cm DBH. For the Chinese fir of 12-14 cm and 16-18 cm DBH classes, the understory removal had no significant effect on the maximum photosynthetic rate, instantaneous water-use efficiency, instantaneous nitrogen-use efficiency, leaf total nitrogen (N) content, leaf total phosphorus (P) content, leaf N/P, leaf NSC(NSCleaf), branch NSC(NSCbranch), and trunk NSC(NSCtrunk). For the Chinese fir with16-18 cm DBH, understory removal significantly reduced the NSC of new leaves (especially soluble sugar, SS), increased NSCtrunk/RGR and NSCleaf/RGR (indicatinga priority of carbon storage over growth), and thus decreased the RGR. For the Chinese fir with 12-14 cm DBH, although the understory removal significantly increased the ratio of new leaf SS and old leaf SS, the NSCleaf/RGR was the main factor in regulating the RGR and the understory removal did not significantly affect NSCleaf/RGR of Chinese fir with this DBH class. Conclusion: The DBH-dependent effects of understory removal on the growth rate of middle-aged Chinese fir are mainly controlled by carbon allocation rather than by nutrient stoichiometry, resource acquisition efficiency, and utilization efficiency. Objective: The study aims to determine how growth rate of middle-aged Chinese fir responds to understory management. Method: This study was conducted in the framework of an understory management experiment ofsubtropical middle-aged Chinese fir established in 2013. The plantation on the platform was established in 1998. Weset a paired-treatment experiment, with understory left intact in one treatment (CK) and understory removed for the other treatment(UR). By 2016, trees with DBH classes of 12-14 cm and 16-18 cm accounted for 42.6% in CK treatment and 77.1% in UR treatment. During 2016-2018, we studied the stoichiometry, resource acquisition and utilization efficiency, carbon allocation patterns (e.g., structural vs non-structural carbohydrates (NSC) allocations and NSC allocations among different organs) and relative growth rate (RGR) of trees withthese two DBHclasses. Result: The effects of understory removal on the RGR of middle-aged Chinese fir depended on DBH. The understory removal had no significant effect on the RGR of the Chinese fir with 12-14 cm DBH, however decreased the RGR of the Chinese fir with 16-18 cm DBH. For the Chinese fir of 12-14 cm and 16-18 cm DBH classes, the understory removal had no significant effect on the maximum photosynthetic rate, instantaneous water-use efficiency, instantaneous nitrogen-use efficiency, leaf total nitrogen (N) content, leaf total phosphorus (P) content, leaf N/P, leaf NSC(NSCleaf), branch NSC(NSCbranch), and trunk NSC(NSCtrunk). For the Chinese fir with16-18 cm DBH, understory removal significantly reduced the NSC of new leaves (especially soluble sugar, SS), increased NSCtrunk/RGR and NSCleaf/RGR (indicatinga priority of carbon storage over growth), and thus decreased the RGR. For the Chinese fir with 12-14 cm DBH, although the understory removal significantly increased the ratio of new leaf SS and old leaf SS, the NSCleaf/RGR was the main factor in regulating the RGR and the understory removal did not significantly affect NSCleaf/RGR of Chinese fir with this DBH class. Conclusion: The DBH-dependent effects of understory removal on the growth rate of middle-aged Chinese fir are mainly controlled by carbon allocation rather than by nutrient stoichiometry, resource acquisition efficiency, and utilization efficiency.

Key words: Chinese fir, understory removal, non-structural carbohydrate, carbon allocation, stoichiometry, resource acquisition efficiency, resource utilization efficiency

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