Impact of fertilization on chestnut growth, N and P concentrations in runoff water on degraded slope land in South China

Growing fruit trees on the slopes of rolling hills in South China was causing serious environmental problems because of heavy application of chemical fertilizers and soil erosion. Suitable sources of fertilizers and proper rates of applications were of key importance to both crop yields and environmental protection. In this article, the impact of four fertilizers, i.e., inorganic compound fertilizer, organic compound fertilizer, pig manure compost, and peanut cake （peanut oil pressing residue）, on chestnut （Castanea mollissima Blume） growth on a slope in South China, and on the total N and total P concentrations in runoff waters have been investigated during two years of study, with an orthogonal experimental design. Results show that the organic compound fertilizer and peanut cake promote the heights of young chestnut trees compared to the control. In addition, peanut cake increases single-fruit weights and organic compound fertilizer raises single-seed weights. All the fertilizers increased the concentrations of total N and total P in runoff waters, except for organic compound fertilizer, in the first year experiment. The observed mean concentrations of total N varied from 1.6 mg/L to 3.2 mg/L and P from 0.12 mg/L to 0.22 mg/L, which were increased with the amount of fertilizer applications, with no pattern of direct proportion. On the basis of these experiment results, organic compound fertilizer at 2 kg/tree and peanut cake at 1 kg/tree are recommended to maximize chestnut growth and minimize water pollution.

Spatial patterns of leaf nitrogen and phosphorus stoichiometry across southeast to central Tibet

Leaf N and P stoichiometry in terrestrial ecosystems has been widely investigated in recent years owing to the importance of these elements in improving the predicted vegetation responses to global changes.The vertical distribution of leaf N and P stoichiometry has attracted increasing attention because of the dramatic changes in environmental factors at regional scales.However,the characteristics of leaf N and P stoichiometry in the southeast Qinghai–Tibet plateau(SET)are not clear,although this area is sensitive to global change.Here,we analyzed the leaf N and P concentrations in dominant plant species on natural altitudinal gradients on the Duoxiongla(DXL),Sejila(SJL),Mila(ML),and Gangbala(GBL)mountains across the SET all the way to central Tibet.Our results showed that the leaf N concentrations were comparable among the regions,whereas the leaf P concentrations dramatically decreased from SET to central Tibet(CT).The leaf N concentrations were 23.6,21.3,20.8,and 22.4 g kg^(-1),and the leaf P concentrations were 2.40,2.49,1.94,and 1.59 g kg^(-1) on the SJL,DXL,ML and GBL mountains,respectively.The leaf N/P ratios on the DXL,SJL,ML,and GBL mountains were 8.81,10.3,11.2,and 14.2,respectively.Considering the increasing trend of the leaf N/P ratio from southeast Qinghai–Tibet plateau to central Tibet,N limitation might widely exist in well vegetated ecosystems in the Qinghai–Tibet plateau.