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Forests
Special Issues
Carbon and Nitrogen Cycles in Fruit Trees and Forest Ecosystems
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Carbon and Nitrogen Cycles in Fruit Trees and Forest Ecosystems

A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Forest Ecology and Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 August 2021) | Viewed by 4489

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Maurizio Ventura

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Guest Editor
Faculty of Science and Technology, Free University of Bolzano, Piazza Università 1, 39100 Bolzano, Italy
Interests: ecology; biogeochemistry; forests; trees; carbon; nitrogen
Dr. Damiano Zanotelli

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Science and Technology, Free University of Bolzano, Piazza Università 1, 39100 Bolzano, Italy
Interests: fruit trees; ecophysiology; carbon footprint; water relations; nitrogen; soil management

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

Forest biomes play a key role in the global carbon (C) cycle due to their high C stock and C sink capacity. Permanent cropping systems, such as fruit tree ecosystems, can play an important role in the C cycle as well, as they are also characterised by a high C stock in biomass and soil and associated with the absence of frequent soil disturbances. The productivity and C cycle in forests and fruit tree ecosystems are strongly affected by nitrogen (N) inputs from natural and anthropogenic sources in particular, which have consistently increased in the last few decades. Increasing our knowledge of C and N biogeochemical cycles is, therefore, fundamental to our understanding of the functioning of these ecosystems and the possible consequences of their management for humans and the environment. The aim of this Special Issue is to present a collection of studies investigating all of the different aspects of and processes involved in C and N cycles in fruit tree and forest ecosystems, such as inputs, losses, and internal transformations; biomass and soil stocks; plant uptake; and ecosystem partitioning of one or both elements. Particular attention will be paid to studies focusing on the interactions between the two cycles, such as: 1) the effect of increased or reduced N inputs on an ecosystem’s C stock and uptake and productivity; and 2) strategies for increasing an ecosystem’s C stock and uptake through amendments or fertilisation. Studies focusing on a comparison, or the interaction, between forest and fruit tree ecosystems are also welcome.

Dr. Maurizio Ventura
Dr. Damiano Zanotelli
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Forests is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • carbon
  • nitrogen
  • forests
  • fruit trees
  • orchards
  • biogeochemical cycles
  • biomass
  • soil management
  • cover crops

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 3140 KiB  
Article
Stability of Woodchips Biochar and Impact on Soil Carbon Stocks: Results from a Two-Year Field Experiment
by Irene Criscuoli, Maurizio Ventura, Katja Wiedner, Bruno Glaser, Pietro Panzacchi, Christian Ceccon, Maximilian Loesch, Barbara Raifer and Giustino Tonon
Forests 2021, 12(10), 1350; https://doi.org/10.3390/f12101350 - 02 Oct 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2203
Abstract
Biochar has been shown to improve soil quality and crop yields. Furthermore, thanks to its high carbon content (C) and stable chemical structure, biochar can sequester C in the soil for a long time, mitigating climate change. However, the variability in published biochar [...] Read more.
Biochar has been shown to improve soil quality and crop yields. Furthermore, thanks to its high carbon content (C) and stable chemical structure, biochar can sequester C in the soil for a long time, mitigating climate change. However, the variability in published biochar stability in the soil makes verifying this trait under different environmental and agricultural conditions necessary. Moreover, most of the published literature refers to short-term incubation experiments, which are considered to not adequately represent long-term dynamics under field conditions. This article reports the results of a field experiment carried out in a vineyard near Merano, northern Italy, where the stability of woodchips biochar in soil, its impact on the total soil C stocks as well as on the original soil organic C (priming effect) were studied over two years. Vineyard soil (Dystric Eutrochrept) was amended with biochar (25 and 50 t ha−1) alone or together with compost (45 t ha−1) and compared with unamended control soil. Two methods assessed the stability of biochar in soil: the isotopic mass balance approach and the quantification of Benzene PolyCarboxylic Acids (BPCAs), molecular markers of biochar. The amount of C in the soil organic matter (SOM-C) was determined in the amended plots by subtracting the amount of biochar-C from the total soil organic C stock, and the occurrence of priming effect was verified by comparing SOM-C values at the beginning and at the end of the experiment. Results did not show any significant biochar degradation for both application rates, but results were characterized by a high variation. The application of 50 t ha−1 of biochar significantly increased soil C stock while no effect of biochar on the degradation of SOM-C was observed. Results were confirmed in the case of biochar application together with compost. It can be concluded that the use of woodchips biochar as a soil amendment can increase soil C content in the medium term. However, further analyses are recommended to evaluate the impact of biochar on climate change mitigation in the long term. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Carbon and Nitrogen Cycles in Fruit Trees and Forest Ecosystems)
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12 pages, 1429 KiB  
Article
Long-Term Cultivation of Fruit Plantations Decreases Mineralization and Nitrification Rates in Calcareous Soil in the Karst Region in Southwestern China
by Zhijie Shan, Zhe Yin, Hui Yang, Changqing Zuo and Tongbin Zhu
Forests 2020, 11(12), 1282; https://doi.org/10.3390/f11121282 - 29 Nov 2020
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 1795
Abstract
Determination of rates of mineralization of organic nitrogen (N) into ammonium-N (NH4+-N) and nitrification of NH4+-N into nitrate-N (NO3−-N) could be used to evaluate inorganic N supply capacity, which, in turn, could guide N [...] Read more.
Determination of rates of mineralization of organic nitrogen (N) into ammonium-N (NH4+-N) and nitrification of NH4+-N into nitrate-N (NO3−-N) could be used to evaluate inorganic N supply capacity, which, in turn, could guide N fertilizer application practices in crop cultivation systems. However, little information is available on the change of mineralization and nitrification in soils under fruit cultivation systems converted from forestlands in karst regions. In a 15N-tracing study, inorganic N supply capacity in forest soils and three typical fruit crop soils under long-term cultivation was investigated, in addition to factors influencing the supply, in calcareous soils in the karst regions in southwestern China. Long-term fruit crop cultivation decreased soil organic carbon (SOC), total N, and calcium concentrations, cation exchange capacity (CEC), water holding capacity (WHC), pH, and sand content, significantly, but increased clay content. Compared to that of forests, long-term fruit crop cultivation significantly decreased mineralization and nitrification rates to 0.61–1.34 mg N kg−1 d−1 and 1.95–5.07 mg N kg−1 d−1, respectively, from 2.85–6.49 mg N kg−1 d−1 and 8.17–15.5 mg N kg−1 d−1, respectively, but greatly increased the mean residence times of NH4+-N and NO3−-N. The results indicate that long-term fruit crop cultivation could decrease soil inorganic N supply capacity and turnover in karst regions. Both mineralization and nitrification rates were significantly and positively correlated with SOC and total N concentrations, CEC, and WHC, but negatively correlated with clay content, suggesting that decreased soil organic matter and increased clay content were responsible for the decline in mineralization and nitrification rates in soils under long-term cultivation of fruit crops. The results of the present study highlight the importance of rational organic fertilizer application in accelerating soil inorganic N supply and turnover under long-term cultivation of fruit crops in karst regions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Carbon and Nitrogen Cycles in Fruit Trees and Forest Ecosystems)
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