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Fresh root decomposition pattern of two contrasting tree species from temperate agroforestry systems: effects of root diameter and nitrogen enrichment of soil

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Abstract

Fresh tree root decomposition induced by tillage is an important source of soil nutrients in agroforestry systems. Here we examined the effects of tree species, root size and soil N enrichment on fresh root decomposition under laboratory conditions. Fresh roots with two diameters (<2 and 2–5 mm) of Populus euramericana cv. ‘N3016’ (poplar) and Pinus tabulaeformis (pine) collected from agroforestry systems in Northeast China were used in the experiment. For each root treatment, four N levels (0, 50, 100 and 150 μg N g−1 soil) were added. We recognized N concentration and C/N ratio as the root quality variables, and determined decomposition rates as cumulative CO2 production and mass loss. Poplar roots had higher N concentration and lower C/N ratio and decomposed faster than pine roots, and smaller roots decomposed faster than the corresponding larger roots. The effect of N addition on root decomposition varied from positive to negligible to negative, and depended on root quality and N addition rates. Increased N availability did not accelerate and even suppressed poplar root decomposition, whereas generally stimulated pine root decomposition. Our results suggest that root quality should be incorporated into the design of agroforestry systems. Moreover, the differential responses of N addition on decomposition of fresh roots with different quality provide insights into soil nutrient management in agroforestry practices.

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Acknowledgments

This work was funded by the National Key Technologies R&D Program of China (Nos. 2011BAD38B02 and 2006BAD03A0502). We thank three anonymous reviewers and the section editor (Dr. Johannes Lehmann) for their helpful remarks on an earlier version of this manuscript, He-Ming Lin and Gui-Yan Ai for laboratory analyses, and Qing Zhang and Zhan-Peng Liu for the field work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, 130012, China

    Rong Mao & Lu-Jun Li

  2. State Key Laboratory of Forest and Soil Ecology, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 72 Wenhua Rd, Shenyang, 110164, China

    Rong Mao, De-Hui Zeng & Lu-Jun Li

Authors
  1. Rong Mao
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  2. De-Hui Zeng
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  3. Lu-Jun Li
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Correspondence to De-Hui Zeng.

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Responsible Editor: Johannes Lehmann.

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Mao, R., Zeng, DH. & Li, LJ. Fresh root decomposition pattern of two contrasting tree species from temperate agroforestry systems: effects of root diameter and nitrogen enrichment of soil. Plant Soil 347, 115–123 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-011-0830-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-011-0830-y

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