Investigating the Effects of Greenhouse Vegetable Cultivation on Soil Fertility in Lhasa, Tibetan Plateau

The area of land utilized for growing vegetables in greenhouses has expanded rapidly on the Tibetan Plateau over recent decades. However, the effects of greenhouses on soil fertility as well as variations in these effects between the plateau and plain remain unclear on the Tibetan Plateau. This study assessed the effects of vegetable greenhouses in the vicinity of Lhasa, using open field soil as a control. A total of 92 plough layer(0-20 cm depth) soil samples including 54 from greenhouses and 38 from open fields were taken, and soil pH, electrical conductivity(EC), total soluble salt(TS), soil organic matter(SOM), total nitrogen(TN), available phosphorus(AP), and available potassium(AK) were measured. The results reveal that, soil pH was lower 1.0 units in greenhouses than that in open field. TS was higher 82% and AP was higher 160% overall. Similarly, SOM and TN were higher 32% and 46%, respectively, while AK changed slightly at a higher 1% rate. Results also show that soil properties varied depending on cultivation time and vegetable types. Overall, pH continuously decreased with cultivation time while other soil fertility indicators reached a maximum value after nine years of cultivation before starting to decrease. The effect of leafy vegetable planting on soil was slight overall, while the impact of fruits on soil was more serious. Compared with changes in plain greenhouse soil fertility measured across the eastern China, the effects of greenhouses on soil in Lhasa remain relatively limited;and the change in the degree of soil fertility was lower and the extreme values of soil fertility occurred later in Lhasa.

Simulated N and S deposition affected soil chemistry and understory plant communities in a boreal forest in western Canada

Aims We conducted a simulated nitrogen(N)and sulfur(S)deposition experi-ment from 2006 to 2012 to answer the following questions:(i)does chronic N and S deposition decrease cation concentrations in the soil and foliage of understory plant species,and(ii)does chronic N and S deposition decrease plant diversity and alter species composition of the understory plant community in a boreal forest in western Canada where intensifying industrial activities are increasing N and S deposition?Methods Our field site was a mixedwood boreal forest stand located~100 km southeast of Fort McMurray,Alberta,Canada.the experiment involved a 2×2 factorial design,with two levels each of N(0 and 30 kg N ha−1 yr−1;applied as NH4NO3)and S addition(0 and 30 kg S ha−1 yr−1;applied as Na2SO4).Four blocks were established in July 2006,each with four plots of 20×20 m randomly assigned to the treatments.Soil and understory vegetation were sampled and cover(%)of individual species of herb(height≤0.5 m)and shrub(height 0.5-1 m)layers was determined in August 2012.Important Findings Seven years after the treatments began,N addition increased dissolved organic carbon and N in the mineral soil(P<0.05),whereas S add-ition decreased exchangeable cations(P<0.05)in the forest floor.In the shrub layer,species evenness,and overall diversity were decreased by N addition(P<0.05)due to increases in abundance of nitrophil-ous species and S addition(P<0.01)due to decreased cation con-centrations in soils.total shrub cover decreased with S addition(P<0.10).Nitrogen and S addition affected neither species richness nor evenness in the herb layer.However,permutational multivariate ana-lysis of variance and non-metric multidimensional scaling analyses(based on plant cover)indicated that the effect of N and S addition on understory plant species composition in the both shrub and herb layers was species-specific.Addition of N decreased foliar phosphorus and potassium concentrations in some species,suggesting potential risk of N-meditated nutrient imbalance in those species.Our results indicate that long-term elevated levels of N and S deposition can negatively impact plant nutrition and decrease the diversity of the understory plant community in boreal forests in northern Alberta,Canada.However,considering that the current N and S deposition rates in northern Alberta are much lower than the rates used in this study,N and S deposition should not negatively affect plant diversity in the near future.

ECOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF NITROGEN DEPOSITION ON URBAN FORESTS: AN OVERVIEW

The global urban area is expanding continuously,resulting in unprecedented emissions and deposition of reactive nitrogen(N)in urban environments.However,large knowledge gaps remain in the ecological effects of N deposition on urban forests that provide key ecosystem services for an increasing majority of city dwellers.The current understanding of the spatial patterns and ecological effects of N deposition in urban forests was synthesized based on a literature review of observational and experimental studies.Nitrogen deposition generally increases closer to cities,resulting in an urban hotspot phenomenon.Chemical components of N deposition also shift across urban-suburban-rural gradients,showing higher ratios of ammonium to nitrate in and around urban areas.The ecological effects of N deposition on urban forest ecosystems are overviewed with a special focus on ecosystem N cycling,soil acidification,nutrient imbalances,soil greenhouse gas emissions,tree growth and forest productivity,and plant and soil microbial diversity.The distinct effects of unprecedented N deposition on urban forests are discussed in comparison with the common effects in natural forests.Despite the existing research efforts,several key research needs are highlighted to fill the knowledge gaps in the ecological effects of N deposition on urban forests.

Greater soil microbial biomass loss at low frequency of N addition in an Inner Mongolia grassland

Soil microbial biomass is critical for biogeochemical cycling and serves as precursor for carbon(C)sequestration.The anthropogenic nitrogen(N)input has profoundly changed the pool of soil microbial biomass.However,traditional N deposition simulation experiments have been exclusively conducted through infrequent N addition,which may have caused biased effects on soil microbial biomass compared with those under the natural and continuous N deposition.Convincing data are still scarce about how the different N addition frequencies affect soil microbial biomass.By independently manipulating the frequencies(2 times vs.12 times N addition yr^(–1))and the rates(0–50 g N m^(−2) yr^(−1))of N addition,our study aimed to examine the response of soil microbial biomass C(MBC)to different N addition frequencies with increasing N addition rates.Soil MBC gradually decreased with increasing N addition rates under both N addition frequencies,while the soil MBC decreased more at low frequency of N addition,suggesting that traditional studies have possibly overestimated the effects of N deposition on soil microbial biomass.The greater soil microbial biomass loss with low N frequency resulted from the intensifed soil acidifcation,higher soil inorganic N,stronger soil C and N imbalance,less net primary production allocated to belowground and lower fungi to bacteria ratio.To reliably predict the effects of atmospheric N deposition on soil microbial functioning and C cycling of grassland ecosystems in future studies,it is necessary to employ both the dosage and the frequency of N addition.