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Understory vegetation management affected greenhouse gas emissions and labile organic carbon pools in an intensively managed Chinese chestnut plantation

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Abstract

Background and aims

The impact of understory vegetation control or replacement with selected plant species, which are common forest plantation management practices, on soil C pool and greenhouse gas (GHG, including CO2, CH4 and N2O) emissions are poorly understood. The objective of this paper was to investigate the effects of understory vegetation management on the dynamics of soil GHG emissions and labile C pools in an intensively managed Chinese chestnut (Castanea mollissima Blume) plantation in subtropical China.

Methods

A 12-month field experiment was conducted to study the dynamics of soil labile C pools and GHG emissions in a Chinese chestnut plantation under four different understory management practices: control (Control), understory removal (UR), replacement of understory vegetation with Medicago sativa L. (MS), and replacement with Lolium perenne L. (LP). Soil GHG emissions were determined using the static chamber/GC technique.

Results

Understory management did not change the seasonal pattern of soil GHG emissions; however, as compared with the Control, the UR treatment increased soil CO2 and N2O emissions and CH4 uptake, and the MS and LP treatments increased CO2 and N2O emissions and reduced CH4 uptake (P < 0.05 for all treatment effects, same below). The total global warming potential (GWP) of GHG emissions in the Control, UR, MS, and LP treatments were 36.56, 39.40, 42.36, and 42.99 Mg CO2 equivalent (CO2-e) ha−1 year−1, respectively, with CO2 emission accounting for more than 95 % of total GWP regardless of the understory management treatment. The MS and LP treatments increased soil organic C (SOC), total N (TN), soil water soluble organic C (WSOC) and microbial biomass C (MBC), while the UR treatment decreased SOC, TN and NO3 −-N but had no effect on WSOC and MBC. Soil GHG emissions were correlated with soil temperature and WSOC across the treatments, but had no relationship with soil moisture content and MBC.

Conclusions

Although replacing competitive understory vegetation with legume or less competitive non-legume species increased soil GHG emissions and total GWP, such treatments also increased soil C and N pools and are therefore beneficial for increasing soil C storage, maintaining soil fertility, and enhancing the productivity of Chinese chestnut plantations.

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Acknowledgments

This study was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 31170576), the Key Foundation of Science and Technology Department of Zhejiang Province (No. 2011C12019), and Zhejiang Province Key Science and Technology Innovation Team grant (NO. 2010R50030-10), and the Youth Creative Group of Zhejiang A & F University (2009RC04). We thank the two anonymous reviewers and the editor for their constructive comments that greatly improved the quality of an earlier version of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Carbon Cycling in Forest Ecosystems and Carbon Sequestration, Zhejiang A & F University, Lin’an, 311300, China

    Jiaojiao Zhang, Yongfu Li, Peikun Jiang, Guomo Zhou, Juan Liu & Jiasen Wu

  2. The Nurturing Station for the State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Zhejiang A & F University, Lin’an, 311300, China

    Jiaojiao Zhang, Yongfu Li, Peikun Jiang, Guomo Zhou, Juan Liu & Jiasen Wu

  3. Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, 442 Earth Sciences Building, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E3, Canada

    Scott X. Chang

  4. Forest Technology Service General Station of Lin’an City, Lin’an, 311300, China

    Zhenming Shen

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  1. Jiaojiao Zhang
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  2. Yongfu Li
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  3. Scott X. Chang
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  4. Peikun Jiang
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  5. Guomo Zhou
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  6. Juan Liu
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  8. Zhenming Shen
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Correspondence to Yongfu Li.

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Zhang, J., Li, Y., Chang, S.X. et al. Understory vegetation management affected greenhouse gas emissions and labile organic carbon pools in an intensively managed Chinese chestnut plantation. Plant Soil 376, 363–375 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-013-1996-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-013-1996-2

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