Effects of understory vegetation on the growth and soil quality of young Phoebe zhennan forest
We explored the effects of understory vegetation removal on the growth and soil quality of young Phoebe zhennan forest,aiming to clarify the potential site-specific factors driving P.zhennan growth and to provide a scientific basis for understory vegetation management in a young P.zhennan forest.The research was conducted on an 8-year-old P.zhennan artificial forest at the Chongqing Yongchuan State-owned Forest Farm.A field control experiment was set up with two treatments:understory vegetation removal and natural retention.The study investigated the effects of understory vegetation removal on P.zhennan growth,photosynthetic physiology,and soil physicochemical properties.The Mantel test was used to analyze the correlations between soil characteristics and P.zhennan growth,while the random forest model was applied to determine the key soil factors influencing the growth.Additionally,the soil quality index was used to quantify the relationship between soil environmental factors and P.zhennan growth.The results showed that after understory vegetation removal,the height,ground diameter,crown width,and leaf area of P.zhennan increased significantly,with the comprehensive growth index improving by 169.23％.Photosynthetic parameters(net photosynthetic rate,stomatal conductance,transpiration rate)and photosynthetic pigments(chlorophyll,carotenoids)content also increased significantly.Soil characteristics improved significantly,except for available phosphorus and available potassium,with the soil quality index improving by 107.10％.The growth of P.zhennan was primarily regulated by soil nitrogen cycling and its availability,with urease and alkali-hydrolyzable nitrogen being the key factors driving growth.The removal of understory vegetation can promote P.zhennan growth by improving soil quality.Therefore,timely removal of understory vegetation is recommended in the management of young P.zhennan plantations to promote the sustainable forest management.
Phoebe zhennanunderstory vegetation removalartificial young forestsoil characteristicssoil quality index
万方数据
维普
