Fast-growing Larix kaempferi suffers under nutrient imbalance caused by phosphorus fertilization in larch plantation soil

• Published in: Forest ecology and management Vol. 417; pp. 49 - 62
• Main Authors: Li, Junyu, Wu, Guoxi, Guo, Qingxue, Korpelainen, Helena, Li, Chunyang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 15.05.2018
• Subjects: Biomass allocation strategies; Chloroplast ultrastructure; Contrasting growth rates; N partitioning; Nutrient imbalance; E; Ns; Ci; Biomass allocation strategies; gs; N; P; APA; Tchl; Nutrient imbalance; TSS; Contrasting growth rates; Chloroplast ultrastructure; Chla; PM; Pn; N partitioning; NM; NSC
• ISSN: 0378-1127; 1872-7042
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2018.02.046

•N and NP fertilization increased the growth of both L. olgensis and L. kaempferi.•P fertilization alone increased L. olgensis growth but decreased L. kaempferi growth.•P fertilization alone induced nutrient imbalance for larch in larch plantation soil.•Nutrient imbalance caused a greater negative effect on fast-growing larch.•The negative effects are related to various acclimation and N partitioning strategies. There are significant differences in the morphological and physiological responses of larch species with contrasting growth rates under fertilization. However, little is known about species-specific differences in responses to nutrient imbalance caused by fertilization. Therefore, in this study, the effects of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) fertilization on the morphological, physiological and chloroplast ultrastructural traits of two contrasting larch species, fast-growing Larix kaempferi and slowly-growing L. olgensis, grown in larch plantation soil, were investigated during two growth seasons. It was shown that N and combined N and P (NP) fertilization increased plant photosynthesis, foliar N contents, chlorophyll contents, and dry mass accumulation and partitioning in aboveground organs in both larch species. Although P fertilization enhanced P accumulation, its presence reduced the N content in soluble proteins in the foliage of both larch species. Yet, P fertilization exhibited some differences in the two species: P fertilization increased photosynthesis, chlorophyll content and biomass accumulation of L. olgensis, while it decreased these parameters dramatically in L. kaempferi. P fertilization increased foliar N content in L. olgensis, while it reduced it in L. kaempferi. P fertilized L. kaempferi had more damaged chloroplast ultrastructure than L. olgensis. In addition, L. kaempferi exhibited lower acid phosphatase activities, and higher photosynthesis and biomass accumulation than L. olgensis, except under P fertilization. L. kaempferi allocated more biomass into needles, except under P fertilization, while L. olgensis allocated more into stems under fertilization. In conclusion, it was shown that nutrient imbalance caused by P fertilization has greater negative effects on a fast-growing species than on a slowly-growing one, and the negative effects are related to differences in acclimation strategies, N partitioning to photosynthetic components, and P transportation and metabolism in the foliage.