Abstract
Nitrogen-fixing legumes are widely used to improve ecosystems. However, N accumulation in biomass, N2 amounts biologically fixed, and the effects on soil N status are poorly understood for plantations with slow-growing N2-fixing legume trees in seasonally dry environments. In this study, we assessed these questions in monospecific stands of uninoculated Anadenanthera peregrina (L.) var. peregrina (angico) trees established in the Atlantic Forest biome. Nine experimental plots with a stand density of 1111 tree ha−1 were examined about five to six years after tree planting. N content in the leaves, branches, bark, and wood was estimated using allometric equations and N concentration in the tissues. To assess the N content, the topsoil layer was sampled in each plot and in one pasture area. The annual N2 fixation rate at the stand scale was estimated by the natural abundance of 15N, using leaves of angico and a mix of leaves of herbs and shrubs growing in the understory in each plot. N accumulation in aboveground biomass was estimated at 260 kg ha−1 and N allocated in the leaves and branches was four-fold that in the tree stem. N derived from biological N2 fixation was estimated at 50% on average, with an annual rate of N fixed in the aboveground biomass of 22 kg ha−1 year−1. Soil N storage was similar between A. peregrina stands and the pasture area at six years after planting. Long-term gains of N2 fixation may be greatly improved by the adoption of breeding programs for this slow-growing species and the use of an adequate rhizobium strain.
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Acknowledgments
The authors wish to thank the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa e Inovação do Espírito Santo (Grants 71416382/2016 and 64946088/2013) and the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico for the financial support. We are also grateful to the Laboratório de Isótopos Estáveis of CENA/USP, the Laboratório de Ecologia Aplicada of ESALQ/USP, and the Laboratório de Recursos Hídricos e Solos of DCFM/UFES for their technical support. We would like to thank the Instituto Federal de Ciência e Tecnologia do Espírito Santo Campus de Alegre and the partners, for the available study area formally called the “Floresta Piloto.”, and the Instituto Federal de Ciência e Tecnologia do Espírito Santo for the financial contribution to review the article through PRODIF—Edital PRPPG 07/2020. We are also grateful to J-P. Bouillet, F.C. Balieiro, E.S. Mendonça and the anonymous reviewers who contributed to improving the manuscript.
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Conceptualization: RRP; Data curation: RRP, PHZ, MVWC; Formal analysis: RRP, PHZ, LJM; Funding acquisition: RRP, MVWC, WMD; Investigation: LJM, IFC, PHZ, WMD, RRP; Isotopic analysis: PCO; Writing original draft: RRP, LJM. Review and Edition: RRP, LJM. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Table 1. Mean values of soil attribute at 0–20 cm of depth in experimental plots about six years after planting of A. peregrina trees
Table 2. Equations used to estimate aboveground biomass compartments of A. peregrina trees and respective statistical information. Dbh is expressed in centimeters and Ht is meters.
Fig. 1. Relationship between diameter at breast height and total height of 270 A. peregrina trees about six years after planting. SEE = standard error of the estimate
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Mendes, L.J., Paula, R.R., de Souza, P.H. et al. Nitrogen accumulated and biologically fixed by uninoculated Anadenanthera peregrina (L.) Speg trees under monospecific stands in the Atlantic Forest biome. Braz. J. Bot 44, 503–512 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40415-021-00713-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40415-021-00713-z