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Impacts of mixed litter decomposition from Robinia pseudoacacia and other tree species on C loss and nutrient release in the Loess Plateau of China

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Abstract

The productivity of Robinia pseudoacacia (R.p.) pure forest usually declines at the late growth stage, and reforming it into mixed forests could be a promising way to resolve this problem. When choosing a suitable tree species that can be mixed with R.p., the interspecific relationship is an important issue. Therefore, we gathered the autumn litter fall from R.p. and 10 other species from the Loess Plateau of China were mixed in dual species litterbags (R.p. + each other species) and buried them in soil for a 345 days lab decay incubation. We measured the litter mass loss and nutrient contents to determine whether the nutrient release was affected by mixed species litter decomposition. The impacts of mixed litter decomposition on macro-elements release were more obvious than on micro-elements. The litters with similar substrate quality might show variable impacts on nutrients release in mixed decomposition. The C loss and release of nutrient was improved by descending order when R.p. litter was mixed with Hippophae rhamnoides, Ulmus pumila, Populus simonii, Larix principis-rupprechtii and Quercus liaotungensis (Q.l.). But, except for Q.l., only the other species were recommended as suitable mix-plants for R.p. since promoting a high turnover of the nutrient in the litter compartment and a rapid availability for tree.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Dr. Qian Li and Dr. Caihong Mi for technical supports. This work was supported by the National Science Foundation of China (No. 31070630).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Northwest A&F University, No. 26 Xinong Rd., Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi Province, People’s Republic of China

    Xiaoxi Zhang, Zengwen Liu, Bochao Zhu, Yuanhao Bing, Nhu Trung Luc, Liangzhen Du & Zhenhua Zhu

  2. Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Lao Cai, Lao Cai City, 330100, Vietnam

    Nhu Trung Luc

Authors
  1. Xiaoxi Zhang
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  2. Zengwen Liu
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  3. Bochao Zhu
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  4. Yuanhao Bing
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  5. Nhu Trung Luc
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  6. Liangzhen Du
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  7. Zhenhua Zhu
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Correspondence to Zengwen Liu.

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Corresponding Editor: Yu Lei

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Zhang, X., Liu, Z., Zhu, B. et al. Impacts of mixed litter decomposition from Robinia pseudoacacia and other tree species on C loss and nutrient release in the Loess Plateau of China. J. For. Res. 27, 525–532 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11676-015-0175-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11676-015-0175-0

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