Effects of soil nutrient availability and ozone on container-grown Japanese larch seedlings and role of soil microbes

• Published in: Journal of forestry research Vol. 31; no. 6; pp. 2295 - 2311
• Main Authors: Agathokleous, Evgenios, Kitao, Mitsutoshi, Komatsu, Masabumi, Tamai, Yutaka, Saito, Hideyuki, Harayama, Hisanori, Uemura, Akira, Tobita, Hiroyuki, Koike, Takayoshi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.12.2020; Springer; Springer Nature B.V; Institute of Ecology, Key Laboratory of Agrometeorology of Jiangsu Province, School of Applied Meteorology, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology (NUIST),Nanjing 210044, Jiangsu, People's Republic of China; Hokkaido Research Center, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute (FFPRI), Forest Research and Management Organization, 7 Hitsujigaoka, Sapporo,Hokkaido 062-8516, Japan%Hokkaido Research Center, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute (FFPRI), Forest Research and Management Organization, 7 Hitsujigaoka, Sapporo,Hokkaido 062-8516, Japan%Department of Mushroom Science and Forest Microbiology,Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute (FFPRI),Matsunosato 1, Tsukuba 305-8687, Japan%Research Faculty of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Kita 9 Nishi 9, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-8589, Japan%Department of Plant Ecology, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute (FFPRI), Matsunosato 1,Tsukuba 305-8687, Japan
• Subjects: Air pollution; Availability; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Comparative analysis; Containers; Damping; Damping-off; Disease susceptibility; Ecological effects; Ectomycorrhizas; Forest management; Forestry; Gas exchange; Inoculation; Larix kaempferi; Leaves; Life Sciences; Microorganisms; Nutrient availability; Nutrient concentrations; Nutrient dynamics; Nutrient enrichment; Nutrients; Original Paper; Ozone; Physiological effects; Physiology; Plant growth; Plants; Seedlings; Soil microbiology; Soil microorganisms; Soils; Stress response; Oxidative stress; Ectomycorrhizae; Plant–fungi interaction; Fertilizer; Plant-fungi interaction
• ISSN: 1007-662X; 1993-0607
• DOI: 10.1007/s11676-019-01056-y

The interactive effects of ozone, soil nutrient availability and root microorganisms on physiological, growth, and productivity traits were studied for the first time for Japanese larch ( Larix kaempferi ) seedlings grown in containers over a growing season, using a free air ozone-concentration enrichment exposure system. High nutrient availability altered leaf and root nutrient dynamics and enhanced plant growth; however, it also enhanced seedling susceptibility to damping-off disease compared to low nutrient availability. Negative effects of elevated ozone, as compared with ambient ozone, on leaf gas exchange and plant stem form were neither offset nor exacerbated by soil nutrient availability and root colonizers. Such negative effects suggest that elevated ozone may have implications for ecological health even when plant vigor is limited by factors other than ozone. Inoculation of roots with ectomycorrhizae had negligible influence on the effects of either soil nutrient availability or ozone. However, this lack of effect may be upon impeded formation of complete mycorrhizal root tips due to factors other than the manipulated variables. B and Na appeared to have an important role in stress responses, so further studies to examine their link with physiological mechanisms as a function of time. This study provides an important perspective for designing forestry practices to enhance seedling health.