Adopting A.pintoi as Live Mulch for Peach Orchards in China:Benefits of Soil and Water Conservation and Comprehensive Eco-service

Soil erosion occurred in orchards has often attracted extensive attentions from the society with environmental considerations,as orchard is one of major methods of agricultural production in China.In the hilly red soil region of China,many orchards are established on slope lands with a lack of grass covers,leading to severe soil losses.In order to mitigate this common environmental problem and evaluate the efficiency of erosion-control approaches,four treatments were set in field plots in this study,including terraced peach orchard with Arachis pintoi cv.Amarillo as mulch and Paspalum natatu and Digitariasmutsii as hedgerows(TTM),terraced peach orchard without conservation measures(TTW),sloping peach orchard with A.pintoi as mulch and P.natatu and Digitariasmutsii as hedgerows(STM),and sloping peach orchard without conservation measures(STW).The surface runoff,sediment yields and the contents of soil nutrients and organic carbon were monitored in the four treatments and the comprehensive eco-service benefits were further evaluated.The results indicate that available phosphorus(AP),available potassium(AK),total nitrogen(TN) and organic matter(OM) in the soils of the TTM treatments and STM were significantly higher than those of the treatments TTW and STW,suggesting positive effects of the vegetation covers on the soil nutrients.Mean annual surface runoff and coefficient ranged from 0.86 to 34.79 m^3,and 0.007 to 0.282,respectively;the treatment TTM exhibited the best water conservation benefits and the treatment STW was the worst.Soil erosion modulus of the plots were 0-28.76t/hm^2 per year in average,and the treatments TTM and STM reduced significantly soil loss in comparison of the treatments TTW and STW;(d) total organic carbon in the vegetation covers ranged from 130.23 to 195.93 kg per year,and that for TTM and STM treatment significantly higher than TTW and STW treatment;comprehensive eco-service values of the orchards were evaluated considering all the factors including water conservation,soil fertility conservation,CO_2 fixation and O_2 supply,ranging from 563.35 $/y to 765.51 $/y.As expected,the treatments TTM and STM had significantly greater eco-service values than the treatments TTW and STW.In summary,we concluded that terraced orchard with A.pintoi as live mulch plus Paspalum natatu and Digitariasmutsii as hedgerows is a highly sustainable land use practice for the slope lands in red soil hilly region of China.

Water Supply Changes N and P Conservation in a Perennial Grass Leymus chinensis

Changes in precipitation can influence soil water and nutrient availability, and thus affect plant nutrient conservation strategies. Better understanding of how nutrient conservation changes with variations in water availability is crucial for predicting the potential influence of global climate change on plant nutrient-use strategy. Here, green-leaf nitrogen （N） and phosphorus （P） concentrations, N- and P-resorption proficiency （the terminal N and P concentration in senescent leaves, NRP and PRP, respectively）, and N- and P-resorption efficiency （the proportional N and P withdrawn from senescent leaves prior to abscission, NRE and PRE, respectively） of Leymus chinensis （Trin.） Tzveh, a typical perennial grass species in northern China, were examined along a water supply gradient to explore how plant nutrient conservation responds to water change. Increasing water supply at low levels （〈 9000 mL/year） increased NRP, PRP and PRE, but decreased green-leaf N concentration. It did not significantly affect green-leaf P concentration or NRE. By contrast, all N and P conservation indicators were not significantly influenced at high water supply levels （〉 9000 mL/year）. These results indicated that changes in water availability at low levels could affect leaf-level nutrient characteristics, especially for the species in semiarid ecosystems. Therefore, global changes in precipitation may pose effects on plant nutrient economy, and thus on nutrient cycling in the plant-soil systems.

Effects of defoliation timing on plant nutrient resorption and hay production in a semi-arid steppe

Aims Nutrient resorption is a key plant nutrient conservation strategy,and its response to environmental and management changes is linked to nutrient cycling and production of ecosystems.Defoliation is a major pathway of mowing affecting plant nutrient resorption and production in grasslands,while the effect of defoliation timing has not been unexplored.The aim of this study was to examine the effect of defoliation timing on plant nutrient resorption and production in a steppe ecosystem.Methods We conducted a field experiment in a semi-arid steppe of Inner Mongolia including four treatments:early defoliation,peak defoliation,late defoliation and non-defoliation.We measured plant nitrogen(N)and phosphorus(P)resorption at species and community levels,and quantified plant N and P fluxes in resorption,litter return and hay output.Plant production in the mowing system was assessed by hay production and quality.Important Findings Peak and late defoliation,but not early defoliation,reduced plant community N and P resorption proficiency;and late defoliation reduced N resorption efficiency but not P resorption efficiency.Peak and late defoliation,but not early defoliation,reduced plant nutrient resorption flux and litter nutrient return flux.Defoliation timing did not alter root nutrient accumulation as nutrient uptake from soil likely compensated the deficit of nutrient resorption.Peak defoliation had the highest hay production and quality,while early defoliation had the lowest.Our results provide new insights into the nutrient cycling in mowing grassland,and imply that the mowing timing can be used as a tool to mediate the balanee between conservation and production of steppes,and the early mowing before plant peak biomass period is recommended for conservation of the steppes while keeping sustainable pastoral production.

Effect of shrub encroachment on leaf nutrient resorption in temperate wetlands in the Sanjiang Plain of Northeast China

Background:Nutrient resorption is an important plant nutrient conservation strategy in wetlands.However,how shrub encroachment alters plant nutrient resorption processes is unclear in temperate wetlands.Here,we collected green and senesced leaves of common sedge,grass,and shrub species in wetlands with high(50–65%)and low(20–35%)shrub covers in the Sanjiang Plain of Northeast China,and assessed the impact of shrub encroachment on leaf nitrogen(N)and phosphorus(P)resorption efficiency and proficiency at both plant growth form and community levels.Results:The effects of shrub cover on leaf nutrient resorption efficiency and proficiency were identical among shrubs,grasses,and sedges.Irrespective of plant growth forms,increased shrub cover reduced leaf N resorption efficiency and proficiency,but did not alter leaf P resorption efficiency and proficiency.However,the effect of shrub cover on leaf nutrient resorption efficiency and proficiency differed between plant growth form and community levels.At the community level,leaf N and P resorption efficiency decreased with increasing shrub cover because of increased dominance of shrubs with lower leaf nutrient resorption efficiency over grasses and sedges.Accordingly,community‑level senesced leaf N and P concentrations increased with elevating shrub cover,showing a decline in leaf N and P resorption proficiency.Moreover,the significant relationships between leaf nutrient resorption efficiency and proficiency indicate that shrub encroachment increased senesced leaf nutrient concentrations by decreasing nutrient resorption efficiency.Conclusions:These observations suggest that shrub encroachment reduces community‑level leaf nutrient resorp‑tion efficiency and proficiency and highlight that the effect of altered plant composition on leaf nutrient resorption should be assessed at the community level in temperate wetlands.