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Scientia Silvae Sinicae ›› 2025, Vol. 61 ›› Issue (5): 85-97.doi: 10.11707/j.1001-7488.LYKX20230619

• Research papers • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Effects of Water-nitrogen Coupling Treatment on Growth of Populus tomentosa Pulp Forest and the Soil Moisture-nutrient Characteristics

Yafei Wang(),Yang Liu,Kai Wang,Xiaofei Ding,Kexin Xu,Liming Jia*(),Benye Xi   

  1. National Key Laboratory of Efficient Production of Forestry Resources Key Laboratory of Silviculture and Conservation of Ministry of Education, Beijing Forestry University Beijing 100083
  • Received:2023-12-15 Online:2025-05-20 Published:2025-05-24
  • Contact: Liming Jia E-mail:mrw1996@bjfu.edu.cn;jlm@bjfu.edu.cn

Abstract:

Objective: Long-term irrigation and nitrogen application can cause a waste of water resources and soil acidification, leading to ecological security problems. This study aims to clarify the optimal irrigation and fertilization strategy for the late stage of Populus tomentosa pulpwood cultivation, so as to provide a basis for water and fertilizer management in different periods of short-rotation P. tomentosa pulpwood and also provide reference for solving problems such as water resource waste and soil acidification caused by long-term irrigation and nitrogen application. Method: The triploid P. tomentosa in the sandy land of the North China Plain was taken as the research subject, and an augmented experimental design was employed to conduct a drip irrigation water-nitrogen coupling experiment. Three irrigation treatments (W20, W33, W45) and four nitrogen application levels (N0, NL, NM, NH) were set up to investigate the spatiotemporal dynamics of the leaf area index (LAI) and soil volumetric water content (SVWC) under different water-nitrogen treatments during the fifth growing season (April to October), as well as the tree growth and soil nutrient characteristics at the end of the growing season. Result: 1) At the end of the cultivation of P. tomentosa pulp wood, after 4 years of drip irrigation water and nitrogen coupling, there was no significant difference in forest growth, forest stock and forest productivity under different water and nitrogen conditions. 2) The water-nitrogen coupling of drip irrigation did not change the changing trend of LAI throughout the growing season. However, due to the impact of the wind disaster (occurred on June 1), LAI showed a bimodal pattern, reaching peaks around May 30 and July 15. 3) In spring (May), the W20 irrigation treatment (when the soil water potential was –20 kPa) mainly increased the moisture in the root zone soil surface (0?50 cm), while the W33 and W45 irrigation treatments (when the soil water potential was –33 kPa and –45 kPa) mainly increased soil moisture at 100?180 cm. In summer (July), irrigation was able to increase 0?180 cm depth SVWC. The W20 supplemented soil moisture better than the W33 and W45 treatments. After irrigation was stopped in autumn (October), the deep soil moisture was replenished under W20 and W33 treatments, while the surface soil in autumn became drier than that in spring and summer. 4) Soil nutrients in P. tomentosa forestland mainly accumulated in the shallow soil layer (0?40 cm). The response of soil organic matter and total nitrogen content in the shallow soil layer to water-nitrogen coupling was weaker than that of available phosphorus. Among them, irrigation had greater effect on the accumulation of available phosphorus than fertilization. And under sufficient water conditions (W20 and W33 irrigation), the increase in nitrogen application inhibited the accumulation of soil phosphorus content. 5)There was a significant positive correlation between soil available phosphorus content and tree diameter at breast height. Thus, drip irrigation water-nitrogen coupling measures can regulate soil phosphorus content and affect the growth of forest trees. Conclusion: Water-nitrogen coupling for 4 consecutive years has no significant promotion effect on tree growth and forest productivity at the late stage of the cultivation of P. tomentosa pulpwood. Moreover, under the levels of heavy irrigation (W20 and W33), high-level nitrogen fertilization (NM and NH) may reduce the soil available phosphorus accumulation and inhibit forest growth. Comprehensive consideration of economic costs and ecological security, it is recommended that under similar site conditions, fertilization should be stopped in the fifth year of short-rotation P. tomentosa pulp cultivation and sufficient irrigation should be maintained (irrigation threshold is ?20 kPa), so that soil moisture and nutrients can be maintained at a higher level to achieve sustainable soil fertility.

Key words: coupling effects of water and nitrogen fertilizer, Populus tomentosa, the final stage of pulp material cultivation, forest tree growth, soil hydroponic characteristics

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