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Potential of Bioassays to Assess Consequences of Cultivation of Acacia mangium Trees on Nitrogen Bioavailability to Eucalyptus Trees: Two Case-Studies in Contrasting Tropical Soils
We hypothesized that the nitrogen-fixing tree could improve the growth and nitrogen nutrition of non-fixing tree species such as . We measured the N-mineralization and respiration rates of soils sampled from plots covered with , or native vegetation at two tropical sites (Itatinga in Brazil and Kiss...
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Published in: | Plants (Basel) 2023-02, Vol.12 (4), p.802 |
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Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Subjects: | |
Citations: | Items that this one cites |
Online Access: | Get full text |
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Summary: | We hypothesized that the nitrogen-fixing tree
could improve the growth and nitrogen nutrition of non-fixing tree species such as
. We measured the N-mineralization and respiration rates of soils sampled from plots covered with
,
or native vegetation at two tropical sites (Itatinga in Brazil and Kissoko in the Congo) in the laboratory. We used a bioassay to assess N bioavailability to eucalypt seedlings grown with and without chemical fertilization for at least 6 months. At each site,
seedling growth and N bioavailability followed the same trends as the N-mineralization rates in soil samples. However, despite lower soil N-mineralization rates under
in the Congo than in Brazil,
seedling growth and N bioavailability were much greater in the Congo, indicating that bioassays in pots are more accurate than N-mineralization rates when predicting the growth of eucalypt seedlings. Hence, in the Congo, planting
could be an attractive option to maintain the growth and N bioavailability of the non-fixing species
while decreasing chemical fertilization. Plant bioassays could help determine if the introduction of N
-fixing trees will improve the growth and mineral nutrition of non-fixing tree species in tropical planted forests. |
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ISSN: | 2223-7747 2223-7747 |
DOI: | 10.3390/plants12040802 |