[Inhibition of decomposing leaf litter of Cinnamomum camphora on growth of Capsicum annu- um and the alleviation effect of nitrogen application].

Effects of decomposing leaf litter of Cinnamomum camphora on growth, physiological and phenological traits of Capsicum annuum, and modification of these effects by nitrogen application were investigated using a pot experiment. C. camphora leaf litter was applied at rate of 0, 25, 50 100 g per pot, resulting into four treatments, i.

[Response of fine root decomposition to simulated nitrogen deposition in Pleioblastus amarus plantation, rainy area of West China].

As an important contributor to carbon (C) flux in the global C cycle, fine root litter decomposition in forests has the potential to be affected by the elevated nitrogen (N) deposition observed globally. From November 2007 to January 2013, a field experiment involving monthly simulated deposition of N in a Pleioblastus amarus plantation was conducted in the Rainy Area of West China. Four levels of nitrogen deposition were included as control (0 g N x m(-2) x a(-1)), low nitrogen (5 g N x m(-2) x a(-1)), medium nitrogen (15 g N x m(-2) x a(-1)) and high nitrogen (30 g N x m(-2) x a(-1)).

Soil biochemical responses to nitrogen addition in a bamboo forest.

Many vital ecosystem processes take place in the soils and are greatly affected by the increasing active nitrogen (N) deposition observed globally. Nitrogen deposition generally affects ecosystem processes through the changes in soil biochemical properties such as soil nutrient availability, microbial properties and enzyme activities. In order to evaluate the soil biochemical responses to elevated atmospheric N deposition in bamboo forest ecosystems, a two-year field N addition experiment in a hybrid bamboo (Bambusa pervariabilis × Dendrocalamopsis daii) plantation was conducted.

Nitrogen addition significantly affects forest litter decomposition under high levels of ambient nitrogen deposition.

Background: Forest litter decomposition is a major component of the global carbon (C) budget, and is greatly affected by the atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition observed globally. However, the effects of N addition on forest litter decomposition, in ecosystems receiving increasingly higher levels of ambient N deposition, are poorly understood.

Methodology/principal Findings: We conducted a two-year field experiment in five forests along the western edge of the Sichuan Basin in China, where atmospheric N deposition was up to 82-114 kg N ha(-1) in the study sites.

[Effects of Eucalyptus grandis leaf litter at its early stage of decomposition on the growth and photosynthetic characteristics of Cichorium intybus].

From March to May, 2010, a pot experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of Eucalyptus grandis leaf litter at its early stage of decomposition on the growth and photosynthetic characteristics of Cichorium intybus. Four treatments with different application rate of the leaf litter, i.e.

Nitrogen distribution and cycling through water flows in a subtropical bamboo forest under high level of atmospheric deposition.

Background: The hydrological cycle is an important way of transportation and reallocation of reactive nitrogen (N) in forest ecosystems. However, under a high level of atmospheric N deposition, the N distribution and cycling through water flows in forest ecosystems especially in bamboo ecosystems are not well understood.

Methodology/principal Findings: In order to investigate N fluxes through water flows in a Pleioblastus amarus bamboo forest, event rainfall/snowfall (precipitation, PP), throughfall (TF), stemflow (SF), surface runoff (SR), forest floor leachate (FFL), soil water at the depth of 40 cm (SW1) and 100 cm (SW2) were collected and measured through the whole year of 2009.

[Effects of simulated nitrogen deposition on soil enzyme activities in a Betula luminifera plantation in Rainy Area of West China].

From January 2008 to January 2009, a field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of simulated nitrogen (N) deposition (0, 5, 15, and 30 g N x m(-2) x a(-1)) on the soil enzyme activities in a Betula luminifera plantation in Rainy Area of West China. As compared with the control (0 g N x m(-2) x a(-1)), simulated N deposition stimulated the activities of soil hydrolases (beta-fructofuranosidase, cellulase, acid phosphatase, and urease) significantly, but depressed the activities of soil oxidases (polyphenol oxidase and peroxidase). These results suggested that the increased exogenous inorganic N could stimulate soil microbial activity and increase the demands of both B.

[Effects of drought stress and nitrogen fertilization rate on the accumulation of osmolytes in Jatropha curcas seedlings].

A pot experiment with controlled water supply was conducted to study the effects of different drought stress degree (80% FC, 60% FC, 40% FC, and 20% FC) and nitrogen fertilization rate (0 g x pot(-1), 1.2 g x pot(-1), 3.6 g x pot(-1), and 6.

[Characteristics of soil respiration components and their temperature sensitivity in a Pleioblastus amarus plantation in rainy area of West China].

To understand the characteristics of soil respiration components and their temperature sensitivity in a Pleioblastus amarus plantation in the Rainy Area of West China, a one-year periodic monitoring was conducted in a fixed plot of the plantation from February 2010 to January 2011. In the plantation, the mean annual soil respiration rate was 1.13 micromol x m(-2) x s(-1), and the soil respiration presented a clear seasonal pattern, with the maximum rate in mid-summer and the minimum rate in late winter.

[Effects of Eucalyptus grandis leaf litter decomposition on the growth and photosynthetic characteristics of Cichorium intybus].

A pot experiment was conducted to study the effects of Eucalyptus grandis leaf litter during its early stage decomposition on the growth and the photosynthesis of Cichorium intybus. Each pot contained 12 kg soil mixed with different amounts of E. grandis leaf litter (30 g x pot(-1), A1; 60 g x pot(-1), A2; 90 g x pot(-1), A3; and 0 g x pot(-1), CK), and sowed with C.

[Effects of simulated nitrogen deposition on soil respiration in a Bambusa pervariabilis x Dendrocala mopsi plantation in rainy area of West China].

From January 2008 to February 2009, a field experiment was conducted in Rainy Area of West China to understand the effects of nitrogen (N) deposition on the soil respiration in a Bambusa pervariabilis x Dendrocala mopsi plantation. Four treatments were installed, i. e.

[Effects of fertilization level on diurnal variation of gas exchange of young Eucalyptus grandis leaf].

Different levels (0, 90, 180, and 270 g per tree) of compound fertilizer containing 15% N, 15% P2O5, and 15% K2O were applied to young Eucalyptus grandis to study the diurnal variations of its leaf stomatal conductance (Gs), intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci), net photosynthesis rate (Pn), transpiration rate (Tr), water use efficiency (WUE), and vapor pressure deficit on leaf surface (Vpdl) as well as the variation of leaf chlorophyll content, aimed to approach the relationships of E. grandis photosynthesis with fertilization and environmental factors. In all treatments, the diurnal variation of Pn presented a single-peak curve, with the peak at 14:00 and not showing midday depression.

[Effects of simulated nitrogen deposition on the fine root characteristics and soil respiration in a Pleioblastus amarus plantation in rainy area of West China].

Fine root is critical in the belowground carbon (C) cycling in forest ecosystem. Aimed to understand the effects of nitrogen (N) deposition on the fine root characteristics and soil respiration in Pleioblastus amarus plantation, a two-year field experiment was conducted in the Rainy Area of West China. Four treatments with different levels of N deposition were installed, i.

[Effects of simulated nitrogen deposition on soil respiration in a Neosinocalamus affinis plantation in rainy area of west China].

From December 2007 to November 2008, an in situ experiment was conducted to study the effects of simulated nitrogen deposition on the soil respiration in a Neosinocalamus affinis plantation in Rainy Area of West China. Four treatments were installed, i.e.

[Fractal features of soil aggregate structure in slope farmland with different de-farming patterns in South Sichuan Province of China].

By using fractal model, this paper studied the fractal dimension of soil aggregate structure (D) in the slope farmland (CK), its 5-year de-farmed Neosinocalamus affinis plantation (NAP), Bambusa pervariabilis x Dendrocalamopsis oldhami plantation (BDP), Alnus crenastogyne + Neosinocalamus affinis plantation (ANP), and abandoned farmland (AFL) in south Sichuan Province of China, and analyzed the relationships between the D and soil physical and chemical properties. In the de-farmed plantations and abandoned farmland, the contents of > 0.25 mm soil aggregates and water-stable aggregates were increased significantly, compared with those in the slope farmland.

[Effect of drought on photosynthetic characteristics and growth of Jatropha curcas seedlings under different nitrogen levels].

A pot experiment with controlled water supply was conducted to study the effects of drought stress (continuous drought for 0 d, 5 d, 10 d, ...

[Soil enzyme activities in a Pleioblastus amurus plantation in Rainy Area of West China under simulated nitrogen deposition].

From November 2007 to May 2009, a simulation test was conducted in a Pleioblastus amarus plantation in Rainy Area of West China to study the effects of nitrogen deposition on the activities of soil enzymes. Four treatments were installed, i.e.

[Effects of simulated nitrogen deposition on litter decomposition in Neosinocalamus affinis stands in rainy area of West China].

An in situ experiment was conducted to study the effects of simulated nitrogen deposition on the litter decomposition in Neosinocalamus affinis stands in rainy area of West China. Four treatments were installed, i.e.

[Effects of simulated warming on the growth, leaf phenology, and leaf traits of Salix eriostachya in sub-alpine timberline ecotone of western Sichuan, China].

By using open-top chamber (OTC), the effects of simulated warming on the growth, leaf phenology, and leaf traits of Salix eriostachya in sub-alpine timberline ecotone of Western Sichuan were studied. The results showed that comparing with the control, the mean air temperature at 1.2 m above the ground throughout S.

[Effects of long-term fertilization on soil particulate organic carbon and nitrogen in a wheat-maize cropping system].

0-20 cm soil samples were collected from an 18-year wheat-maize rotation field on the North China Plain to study the effects of long-term fertilization on the contents and storages of soil particulate organic carbon (POC), particulate organic nitrogen (PON), incorporated organic carbon (IOC), and incorporated organic nitrogen (ION). The long-term fertilization experiment was designed to include 7 treatments, i.e.

[Physiological bases of herbages shade-tolerance in Eucalyptus grandis and herbage inter-cultivated system].

The study on the physiological bases of the shade-tolerance of Dactylis glomerata, Lolium perenne, and Hemarthria compressa inter-cultivated in Eucalyptus grandis forests with different canopy densities showed that with increasing canopy density, the light saturation point (LSP), light compensation point (LCP), chlorophyll a/b (Chla/Chlb), and the contents of proline (Pro), soluble sugar (SS) and soluble protein (SP) of the three herbages decreased gradually, but the apparent quantum yield (AQY), chlorophyll content (Chl), malondialdehyde (MDA) content, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity were in adverse. The daily average net photosynthesis rates (P(n)) of H. compressa decreased gradually, while that of D.

[Responses of litter decomposition and nutrient release to simulated nitrogen deposition in an evergreen broad-leaved forest in southwestern Sichuan].

An in situ experiment was conducted in an evergreen broad-leaved forest in southwestern Sichuan to study the responses of litter decomposition and nutrient release to simulated nitrogen deposition. Four treatments were installed, i.e.

[Effects of forest canopy gap on Abies faxoniana seedling's biomass and its allocation in sub-alpine coniferous forest of West Sichuan].

By the method of strip transect sampling, the density, height, basal diameter, and components biomass of Abies faxoniana seedlings (H < or = 100 cm) lived in the forest gap (FG) and under the forest canopy (FC) of subalpine natural coniferous forest in West Sichuan were investigated, and the relationships among different components biomass were analyzed. The results indicated that the density and average height (H) of A. faxoniana seedlings were significantly different in FG and under FC, with the values being 12 903 and 2 017 per hectare, and 26.

[Limiting factors of waste land revegetation in indigenous zinc smelting areas of western Guizhou].

With indigenous zinc smelting waste residue, contaminated soil and background soil as test substrates, a pot experiment was conducted to study the growth characteristics of Lolium perenne and Trifolium pretense on these substrates. The results showed that the major limiting factors of waste land revegetation in indigenous zinc smelting areas of western Guizhou were the salt-alkali stress and the lower contents of organic matter, total N, available N and total K. The heavy metals in waste residue had a high concentration, but their available forms only occupied a small proportion, with low toxicity to plant but having potential harmful risk.