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Fertilizing effect of the increasing CO2 concentration in the atmosphere

  • Soil Science and Allied Sciences
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Abstract

The effect of three atmospheric CO2 concentrations (ambient, 400 ppm; double, 800 ppm; and triple, 1200 ppm) on the productivity of cottonwood (Populus deltoides Barr.) and the activity of the soil microbial biomass in the root-inhabited zone was studied. The total biomass of the cottonwood increased with increasing CO2 concentration (2.28, 5.28, and 3.78 kg/tree for 400, 800, and 1200 ppm, respectively). The strongest responses were observed for the trunk and coarse roots (three and two times higher as compared to the ambient CO2 concentration). The triple concentration of CO2 had a greater effect on the roots of the trees, but the growth of leaves and branches was insignificant or absent. The shoot-to-root ratio changed as follows: 2.86, 2.80, and 1.57 at 400, 800, and 1200 ppm, respectively. The rate of C-CO2 release from the soil samples incubated for 70 days increased in the following order: 400, 800, and 1200 ppm CO2; the average values of the CO2 emission were 2.02, 2.33, and 2.76 mg/100 g per day, respectively. The greatest content of Cmb (75.1 mg/100 g) was observed in the treatment with the triple CO2 concentration, and the lowest content (53.7 mg/100 g) was found for the ambient CO2 concentration. This study suggests that the responses of the cottonwood biomass and soil microbial activity vary depending on the CO2 concentration. The microbial biomass gradually increased with increasing CO2 concentration; the total plant biomass showed the highest response at the double CO2 concentration, and the triple CO2 concentration was likely to suppress the growth of the above-ground plant biomass.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems of Soil Science, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pushchino, Moscow oblast, 142290, Russia

    V. N. Kudeyarov, S. A. Blagodatsky, V. M. Semenov, E. G. Dem’yanova & M. V. Dorodnikov

  2. Institute of Basic Biological Problems, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pushchino, Moscow oblast, 142290, Russia

    K. Biel

  3. Centro de Investigación en Alimentación y Desarrollo, Hermosillo, Sonora, 83000, México

    K. Biel

  4. Biosphere Systems International, Tucson, Arizona, 85755, USA

    K. Biel

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  1. V. N. Kudeyarov
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Kudeyarov, V.N., Biel, K., Blagodatsky, S.A. et al. Fertilizing effect of the increasing CO2 concentration in the atmosphere. Eurasian Soil Sc. 39 (Suppl 1), S6–S14 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1064229306130035

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S1064229306130035

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