Effects of Poplar Plantations on the Physical and Chemical Properties of Soils: A Case Study in the North China Plain

doi:10.5814/j.issn.1674-764x.2016.05.005

Abstract

Abstract:

In recent years, large areas of farmland in the North China Plain have been converted into short-rotation poplar plantations. To analyze the impacts of poplar plantations on soil, 22 soil samples were collected and assayed from the soil profiles of a corn field and a poplar plantation. The results showed that the average soil moisture content of the soil profile in the poplar field was 2.6 percent lower than that of the arable land. The maximum difference in soil moisture content was found in the upper 0-10 cm of topsoil. Soil organic matter and nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in the cornfield were significantly higher than in the poplar field. Higher nutrient content in the corn field may result from higher fertilizer inputs and the practice of returning straw to the cropped field. The analysis also showed no significant increase in soil organic matter content in deeper soil layers of the poplar field, which means that the conditions are not favorable for the formation of soil organic matter, or that soil organic matter needs a longer time to develop. Elements such as magnesium, iron, manganese and copper in both the corn field and the poplar field had a tendency to accumulate with increasing soil depth. Magnesium, iron, manganese and copper in the 0-80 cm soil layer of the poplar field were higher than those of the cornfield, but the situation was reversed at depths greater than 80 cm. It is concluded that poplar trees consume a large amount of soil moisture and soil nutrients. Local governments should prevent the development of new plantations of fast-growing trees in farmland and help farmers to recover their farmland from forestry plantations.

Key words: North China Plain, poplar plantations, soil chemical properties, soil physical properties

WANG Jiayue, XIN Liangjie. Effects of Poplar Plantations on the Physical and Chemical Properties of Soils: A Case Study in the North China Plain[J]. Journal of Resources and Ecology, 2016, 7(5): 352-359.

References

1 Brown G P. 1995. Arable land loss in rural china: policy and implementation in Jiangsu province. Asian Survey , 35(10): 922-940.
2 Dai L M, Wang X L. 2000. Indicators to assess the ecological effect of the 3 North Windbread system. World Forestry Research , 13(2): 47-50. (in Chinese)
3 Easterling W E, Hays C J, Easterling M K, et al. 1997. Modelling the effect of shelterbelts on maize productivity under climate change: An application of the EPIC model. Agriculture Ecosystems and Environment , 61 (2-3): 163-176.
4 FAO. 2009. The state of food insecurity in the world. Rome.
5 Fei Y H, Miao J X, Zhang Z J, et al . 2009. Analysis on evolution of groundwater depression cones and its leading factors in North China Plain. Resources Science , 31(3): 394-399. (in Chinese)
6 Fu B J, Guo X D, Chen L D. 2001. Land use changes and soil nutrient changes: A case study in Zunhua County, Hebei Province. Acta Ecologica Sinica , 21(6): 926-931. (in Chinese)
7 Haywood J D. 1994. Early growth reduction in short rotation loblolly and slash pine in central Louisiana. Southern Journal of Applied Forestry , 18(1): 35-39.
8 Heilig G K, Fischer G, Velthuizen H V . 2000. Can China feed itself? An analysis of China's food prospects with special reference to water resources. International Journal of Sustainable Development and World Ecology , 7(3): 153-172.
9 He K N, Tian Y, Shi C Q, et al . 2003. The suitable soil moisture condition for forest growth in catchment afforestation in semi-arid region on loess plateaus. Scientia Silvae Sinicae , 39(1): 10-16. (in Chinese)
10 Hou Q, Shen J G. 2001. Study on root development characteristics of spring maize and its relationships with canopy growth. Acta Ecologica Sinica , 21(9): 1536-1542. (in Chinese)
11 Huang J K, Zhu L F, Deng X Z. 2007. Regional differences of China construction land expansion and its influence factors. Science in China (Series D: Earth Sciences) , 37(9): 1235-1241. (in Chinese)
12 International Center for Agroforestry I. 2003. Rising preference for eucalyptus poses dilemma in eastern Africa. Policy Brief. http://www.relma. org/pdfs/Eucalyptus_policy_brief.pdf.
13 Li B F. 2010. Study on Impact of the biofuel development on food security and energy security. Ecological Economy , (3): 41-42. (in Chinese)
14 Li C H, Tang L S. 2013. Long-term effect of fertilization application on soil organic carbon and its fractions in soil profiles of an oasis farmland. Arid Land Geography , 36(4): 637-644. (in Chinese)
15 Li F, Meng P, Fu D, et al. 2008. Light distribution, photosynthetic rate and yield in a paulownia-wheat intercropping system in China. Agroforestry Systems, 74(2): 163-172.
16 Liu J M, An S Q, Liao R W, et al. 2009. Temporal variation and spatial distribution of the root system of corn in a soil profile. Chinese Journal of Eco-Agriculture , 17(3): 517-521. (in Chinese)
17 Liu X H. 2005. Thoughts on the “poplar expansion and cropland shrinkage” phenomenon in Huang-Huai-Hai plain. Crops , (6): 1-3. (in Chinese)
18 Liao X Y, Chen Z J, Liu S Q, et al . 2005. Effects of land use types on soil fertility in small watershed in the Three Gorges Reservoir. Ecology and Environment , 14(1): 99-101. (in Chinese)
19 Li Y Z, Xie Y H, Li F, et al. 2014. Effects of poplar plantations on soil physical and chemical characteristics in Dongting Lake wetlands. Research of Agricultural Modernization , 35(2): 234-239. (in Chinese)
20 Longhurst R. 1987. Household food security, tree planting and the poor: the case of Gujarat. Social Forestry Network Paper 5d , London.
21 Lungo A D, Vuorinen P, Carle J. 2001. Preliminary analysis of global trends in forest plantation development, 1980-2000. Forestry Division, FAO, Rome.
22 Ma X Q, Fan S H, Chen S S, et al. 2003. Study on biomass productivity of Chinese fir plantations after successive planting. Scientia Silvae Sinicae , 29(2): 78-83. (in Chinese)
23 Motavalli P P, Discekici H, Kuhn J. 2000. The impact of land clearing and agricultural practices on soil organic C fractions and CO 2 efflux in the Northern Guam aquifer. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment , 79(1): 17-27.
24 Nawir A A, Kassa H, Sandewall M, et al. 2007. Stimulating smallholder tree planting-lessons from Africa and Asia. Unasylva , 58(228): 53-58.
25 Nuberg I K. 1998. Effect of shelter on temperate crops: a review to define research for Australian conditions. Agroforestry Systems , 41(1): 3-34.
26 Pang J L, Zhang W Q, Huang C C, et al . 2010. The Influence of land use change on soil development and over the loess tablelands in the Northern Weihe River Basin, China. Acta Geographica Sinica , 65(7): 789- 800. (in Chinese)
27 Pretty J N, Morison J I L, Hine R E. 2003. Reducing food poverty by increasing agricultural sustainability in developing countries. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment , 95(1): 217-234.
28 Richter D D, Markewitz D, Trumbore S E, et al. 1999. Rapid accumulation and turnover of soil carbon in a reestablishing forest. Nature, 400 (6739): 56-58.
29 Scott D F, Lesch W. 1997. Streamflow responses to afforestation with Eucalyptus grandis and Pinus patula and to felling in the Mokobulaan experimental catchments, South Africa. Journal of Hydrology , 199(3-4): 360-377.
30 Shi Z H, Chen L D, Hao J P, et al . 2008. The effects of land use change on environmental quality in the red soil hilly region, China: A case study in Xianning county. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment , 150(1-4): 295-306.
31 Solomon D, Fritzsche F, Tekalign M, et al . 2002. Soil organic matter composition in the subhumid Ethiopian highlands as influenced by deforestation and agricultural management. Soil Science Society of America Journal , 66(1): 68-82.
32 Sun C L, Zhu Z X, Wang Z, et al. 1995. Study on the soil degradation of the poplar plantation and the technique to preserve and increase soil fertility. Scientia Silvae Sinicae , 3(6): 506-511. (in Chinese)
33 Sun Y F, Qi C Y. 2010. Consequences of poplar overspread on agricultural land and its treatment. Reform , (2): 76-81. (in Chinese)
34 Tan F Y, Wang J L, Song Y B, et al. 2009. Analysis of changing characteristics of agricultural climate resources over last 45 years in North China plain. Chinese Journal of Agrometeorology , 30(1): 19-24.
35 Watelet A. 2009. Agricultural land-cover changes in eastern Ontario from 1826 to 2006: environmental effects. Canadian Geographer , 53(1): 45- 62.
36 Xie Y. 2001. A preliminary study on the economic benefits of agroforestry in poplar plantation. East China Forest Management , 15(3): 19-21. (in Chinese)
37 Xie Y, Yu M, Tian G, et al. 2005. Socio-economic driving forces of arable land conversion: A case study of Wuxian city, China. Global Environmental Change , 15(3): 238-252.
38 Xu C, Sui P, Xie G H, et al. 2006. Soil water effect and productivity in poplar and wheat-corn agroforestry system. Scientia Agricultura Sinica , 39(4): 758-63. (in Chinese)
39 Yang W X. 1996. The preliminary discussion on soil desiccation of artificial vegetation in the northern regions of China. Scientia Silvae Sinicae , 32(1): 78-84. (in Chinese)
40 Yang C D. 1997. Researches on the productivity decline of artificial forests site, Forest and Soil . Beijing: China Science and Technology Press. (in Chinese)
41 Yin C M, Sui P, Chen Y Q, et al . 2008. Soil water consumption and effects of poplar in farmland of the low Hai River plain. Chinese Agricultural Science Bulletin , 24(3): 435-440. (in Chinese)
42 Yu X T. 1992. A summary of the studies on the plantation productivity and nutrient cycling in Chinese fir plantation ecosystem. Journal of Fujian College of Forestry , 12(3): 264-275. (in Chinese)
43 Zhang F S. 1993. The reason and effect of rhizosphere pH value change caused by the root of the plant. Chinese Journal of Soil Science , 24(1): 43-45. (in Chinese)
44 Zhang W J, Li C S, Feng J X, et al . 2001. Agricultural structure adjustment and dynamic changes of food consumption between urban and rural residents in the Yangtze River Delta. Journal of Nanjing Agricultural University , 24(1): 108-12. (in Chinese)
45 Zhao Y L, Li X B, Xin L J, et al. 2012. Driving forces of “poplar expansion and cropland shrinkage” in the North China plain: A case study of Wen’an county, Hebei province. Geographical Research , 31(2): 323- 333. (in Chinese)
46 Zhong S Y, Li K. 2009. Countermeasure for farmland protection based on food security. China Soft Science , (9): 1-8. (in Chinese)