Fertilization Failed to Make Positive Effects on Torreya grandis in Severe N-Deposition Subtropics

In managed orchards, fertilization brings out not only high productivity expectations but also severe environmental pollution. Because economic profit takes priority over environmental cost, increasing amounts of fertilizer have been used in mature subtropical Torreya grandis orchards. However, give...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inSustainability Vol. 13; no. 17; p. 9736
Main Authors Han, Yini, Wang, G. Geoff, Wu, Tonggui, Chen, Wenjing, Ji, Yongliang, Jin, Songheng
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Basel MDPI AG 01.09.2021
Subjects
Acidification
Biodiversity
Decoupling
Deposition
Ecosystems
Efficiency
Environmental economics
Fertilization
Fertilizers
Forests
Nitrogen
Nitrogen enrichment
Nutrient balance
Nutrients
Orchards
Physiology
Plant growth
Productivity
Seeds
Sustainable development
Torreya grandis
Trees
China
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Summary:In managed orchards, fertilization brings out not only high productivity expectations but also severe environmental pollution. Because economic profit takes priority over environmental cost, increasing amounts of fertilizer have been used in mature subtropical Torreya grandis orchards. However, given the magnitude of global nitrogen deposition, it’s worth considering whether heavy fertilizer treatment is necessary. To elucidate the balance between T. grandis nutrient demands and fertilizer supply, we determined the C, N, and P concentrations of foliar and soil ([C], [N], [P]) at 9 orchards undergoing long-term fertilizer treatments in two scenarios of N and N + P addition with different intensity. After documenting the dynamic variation of plant growth, nutrients characteristic, and the corresponding resorption efficiency, we found that excessive N addition interfered T. grandis’ sensibility to P availability in this N-enrichment area, leading to an increasing foliar [P] and resorption efficiency (PRE) and decoupling plant C:N:P ratios. As a result, enhanced fertilizer supply failed to improve carbon accumulation, plant growth, and yield effectively. These results demonstrate that extra fertilization in the N-saturated study area highly reduced the economic and ecological efficiency of fertilizers. Thus, our research suggests that N addition in the studied orchards should be rejected, and we recommend organic management as a more conducive method to achieve sustainable development.
ISSN:2071-1050
2071-1050
DOI:10.3390/su13179736