Abstract
Background and aims
Plant nutrient uptake from coarse soil (2–4 mm diameter) has been demonstrated for only a limited number of nutrients, and the nutritional contribution of coarse soil when present with fine soil (material <2 mm diameter) in realistic ratios is unknown. We conducted a seedling pot trial to investigate the functional relevance of this soil fraction to plant nutrition.
Methods
Fine soil was mixed with either coarse soil, or the equivalent volume of inert glass chips, in ratios identical to those occurring naturally in soil sampled from two depths at each of two sites. Seedlings of Nothofagus solandri var. cliffortioides and Weinmannia racemosa were planted in the soil mixtures and harvested after 9 months.
Results
The content of nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, magnesium and other elements in the above ground seedling tissue was significantly increased by the presence of coarse soil. The coarse soil fraction also contributed proportionally much more to plant nutrient uptake than fine soil on a mass per mass basis.
Conclusions
Coarse soil is excluded from conventional soil analysis, so is possible that soil nutrient capital is systematically underestimated. This has implications for land management and studies of plant dynamics in relation to nutrient supply.
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Acknowledgments
The authors thank Alan Leckie, Jessica Kerr and Kirsty Trotter for their assistance with the establishment and maintenance of the trial. We thank Katrin Webb (née Walbert) and Hayley Ridgeway for their advice regarding the examination of mycorrhizal colonization on the seedling roots. The helpful comments of the two anonymous reviewers were much appreciated. Funding for this work was provided by Landcare Research (programme C09X0802 “Sustainable Indigenous Forestry”) and Scion (Established Researchers Fund).
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Smaill, S.J., Clinton, P.W., Allen, R.B. et al. New evidence indicates the coarse soil fraction is of greater relevance to plant nutrition than previously suggested. Plant Soil 374, 371–379 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-013-1898-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-013-1898-3