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Forest floor contribution to phosphorus nutrition: experimental data

Contribution des couches holorganiques à la nutrition en phosphore : données expérimentales

Annals of Forest Science volume 66, page 510 (2009)Cite this article

Abstract

  • • Although accumulation of decomposing litter temporarily removes nutrients from active circulation, it creates a medium that is more suitable for nutrient uptake where soil conditions are unfavorable.

  • • A pot experiment was conducted using labeling of isotopically exchangeable phosphate ions of the soil and applying the dilution principle to accurately assess the contribution of the forest floor to P nutrition of maritime pine seedlings (Pinus pinaster Aït.). Three-week-old maritime pine seedlings were planted in pots containing either mineral soil (MS) or mineral soil covered with a forest floor layer (MS+FF).

  • • After 130 d, P uptake was still insignificant in the MS treatment while the P content of the seedlings in the MS+FF treatment increased tenfold with respect to the initial P content. In the latter treatment, the forest floor contributed 99.1% of the P supply to pine seedlings.

  • • The higher P uptake from the forest floor than from the mineral soil may be explained by its lower ability to retain inorganic P, which enabled a higher concentration of inorganic P to be maintained in solution.

Résumé

  • • Bien que l’accumulation de litière en décomposition immobilise temporairement une partie des nutriments, elle crée un espace propice au prélèvement des nutriments là où le sol minéral est peu favorable.

  • • La contribution des couches holorganiques à la nutrition en P de semis de pin maritime (Pinus pinaster Aït.) a été estimée sur base d’une expérience en pots combinée à un marquage des ions phosphate du sol minéral. Des semis de trois semaines ont été plantés dans des pots contenant soit uniquement du sol minéral (MS) ou soit du sol minéral recouvert par une couche de litière (MS+FF).

  • • Après 130 jours, le prélèvement en P était toujours insignifiant dans le traitement MS alors que le contenu en P des semis du traitement MS+FF avait été décuplé par rapport au contenu initial. Dans ce traitement, la contribution des couches holorganiques à l’alimentation en phosphore des semis était de 99,1 %.

  • • Le prélèvement en P plus important à partir des couches holorganiques peut être expliqué par leur faible capacité de rétention du P qui permet de maintenir une forte concentration en P dans la solution du sol.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculté d’Ingénierie Biologique, Agronomique et Environnementale, Unité des Eaux et Forêts, Université catholique de Louvain, Croix du sud 2/009, 1348, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

    Mathieu Jonard

  2. UMR 1220 TCEM (INRA-ENITA), INRA, avenue E. Bourlaux 71, BP81, 33883, Villenave d’Ornon, France

    Laurent Augusto & Christian Morel

  3. UMR 1220 TCEM (INRA-ENITA), ENITA de Bordeaux, avenue E. Bourlaux 71, BP 81, 33883, Villenave d’Ornon, France

    David L. Achat

  4. UMR 1220 TCEM (INRA-ENITA), ENITA de Bordeaux, cours du Général de Gaulle 1, CS 40201, 33175, Gradignan, France

    Etienne Saur

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  1. Mathieu Jonard
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  2. Laurent Augusto
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  3. Christian Morel
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  4. David L. Achat
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  5. Etienne Saur
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Correspondence to Mathieu Jonard.

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Jonard, M., Augusto, L., Morel, C. et al. Forest floor contribution to phosphorus nutrition: experimental data. Ann. For. Sci. 66, 510 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1051/forest/2009039

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Annals of Forest Science

ISSN: 1297-966X