The relationships between the vertical distribution of fine roots and soil chemical properties are driven by tree spacing in subtropical plantations in China

IF 3.9 2区农林科学 Q1 AGRONOMY

Plant and Soil Pub Date : 2025-04-26 DOI:10.1007/s11104-025-07487-3

Jian Feng, Yunxing Bai, Yunchao Zhou, Manyi Fan, Piao Wang, Xiaoai Yin, Haiyang Guan, Panming Tang

{"title":"The relationships between the vertical distribution of fine roots and soil chemical properties are driven by tree spacing in subtropical plantations in China","authors":"Jian Feng, Yunxing Bai, Yunchao Zhou, Manyi Fan, Piao Wang, Xiaoai Yin, Haiyang Guan, Panming Tang","doi":"10.1007/s11104-025-07487-3","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Aims</h3><p>The traits and distribution of fine roots determines the life and productivity of a stand, and studying how tree spacing in plantation forests affects the vertical distribution of fine roots and their relationship to soil chemistry is crucial.</p><h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Methods</h3><p>We conducted research on a 38-year-old <i>Pinus massoniana</i> plantation to determine the effect of tree spacing on fine roots in subtropical plantation forests. Fine roots and soil were collected using the root auger method from five soil horizons (0–10, 10–20, 20–30, 30–40, and 40–50 cm) in sample plots with different tree spacings [1.2 × 1.7 m (Spacing 1), 2.2 × 1.7 m (Spacing 2), and 3.2 × 1.7 m (Spacing 3)], and soil chemical properties, root distribution parameters (root length density, root surface area density, root volume density, and root dry weight density) and root traits [specific root length (SRL), specific root surface area (SRA), root tip density and branch density] were analysed.</p><h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Results</h3><p>The study found that tree spacing had significant effects on fine root distribution and traits (SRL and SRA) that outperformed soil chemical properties. Changes in fine root distribution were most noticeable as tree spacing increased at the surface (0–10 cm, increasing) and deeper soil layers (40–50 cm, decreasing). Spacing 2 and 3 significantly increased root distribution parameters and traits in the 0–30 cm soil layer, but decreased in the 30–50 cm layer. Overall, spacing 2 and 3 improved parameters of root distribution (4.29% and 26.77%) as well as traits (3.92% and 26.42%) compared to spacing 1. Furthermore, important soil chemistry parameters influencing fine root distribution and traits changed with tree spacing.</p><h3 data-test=\"abstract-sub-heading\">Conclusions</h3><p>This study found that tree spacing, rather than soil chemistry, had a substantial effect on fine root traits and distribution in plantation forests, altering their interrelationships.</p>","PeriodicalId":20223,"journal":{"name":"Plant and Soil","volume":"7 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.9000,"publicationDate":"2025-04-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Plant and Soil","FirstCategoryId":"97","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-025-07487-3","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"AGRONOMY","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

Aims

The traits and distribution of fine roots determines the life and productivity of a stand, and studying how tree spacing in plantation forests affects the vertical distribution of fine roots and their relationship to soil chemistry is crucial.

Methods

We conducted research on a 38-year-old Pinus massoniana plantation to determine the effect of tree spacing on fine roots in subtropical plantation forests. Fine roots and soil were collected using the root auger method from five soil horizons (0–10, 10–20, 20–30, 30–40, and 40–50 cm) in sample plots with different tree spacings [1.2 × 1.7 m (Spacing 1), 2.2 × 1.7 m (Spacing 2), and 3.2 × 1.7 m (Spacing 3)], and soil chemical properties, root distribution parameters (root length density, root surface area density, root volume density, and root dry weight density) and root traits [specific root length (SRL), specific root surface area (SRA), root tip density and branch density] were analysed.

Results

The study found that tree spacing had significant effects on fine root distribution and traits (SRL and SRA) that outperformed soil chemical properties. Changes in fine root distribution were most noticeable as tree spacing increased at the surface (0–10 cm, increasing) and deeper soil layers (40–50 cm, decreasing). Spacing 2 and 3 significantly increased root distribution parameters and traits in the 0–30 cm soil layer, but decreased in the 30–50 cm layer. Overall, spacing 2 and 3 improved parameters of root distribution (4.29% and 26.77%) as well as traits (3.92% and 26.42%) compared to spacing 1. Furthermore, important soil chemistry parameters influencing fine root distribution and traits changed with tree spacing.

Conclusions

This study found that tree spacing, rather than soil chemistry, had a substantial effect on fine root traits and distribution in plantation forests, altering their interrelationships.

查看原文本刊更多论文

中国亚热带人工林细根垂直分布与土壤化学性质的关系受树间距的影响

目的细根的性状和分布决定了林分的生命力和生产力，研究人工林的树间距如何影响细根的垂直分布及其与土壤化学的关系至关重要。采用根钻法从不同树间距[1.2 × 1.7 米（间距 1）、2.2 × 1.7 米（间距 2）和 3.2 × 1.7 米（间距 3）]的样地的五个土壤层（0-10、10-20、20-30、30-40 和 40-50 厘米）收集细根和土壤。结果研究发现，树距对细根分布和性状（SRL 和 SRA）的显著影响超过了土壤化学性质。随着表层（0-10 厘米，增加）和深层土层（40-50 厘米，减少）树间距的增加，细根分布的变化最为明显。间距 2 和 3 显著增加了 0-30 厘米土层的根系分布参数和性状，但减少了 30-50 厘米土层的根系分布参数和性状。总体而言，与间距 1 相比，间距 2 和间距 3 改善了根系分布参数（4.29% 和 26.77%）和性状（3.92% 和 26.42%）。此外，影响细根分布和性状的重要土壤化学参数随树距的变化而变化。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

Plant and Soil 农林科学-农艺学

CiteScore

8.20

自引率

8.20%

发文量

543

审稿时长

2.5 months

期刊介绍： Plant and Soil publishes original papers and review articles exploring the interface of plant biology and soil sciences, and that enhance our mechanistic understanding of plant-soil interactions. We focus on the interface of plant biology and soil sciences, and seek those manuscripts with a strong mechanistic component which develop and test hypotheses aimed at understanding underlying mechanisms of plant-soil interactions. Manuscripts can include both fundamental and applied aspects of mineral nutrition, plant water relations, symbiotic and pathogenic plant-microbe interactions, root anatomy and morphology, soil biology, ecology, agrochemistry and agrophysics, as long as they are hypothesis-driven and enhance our mechanistic understanding. Articles including a major molecular or modelling component also fall within the scope of the journal. All contributions appear in the English language, with consistent spelling, using either American or British English.