Abstract
We measured soil nitrogen (N) mineralization and litter decomposition for four different thinning intensities [control (C), 10% (T10), 20% (T20), 40% (T40) thinning] during the first year after treatment in a 15-year-old Japanese larch plantation in central Korea. Initial soil moisture content increased in the thinned plots. Air temperature also increased with thinning intensity, however, soil temperature did not. Annual net N mineralization rates (mg N kg-1) for C, T10, T20, and T40 were 6.7, 7.2, 6.6, and 11.5, respectively. The heavily thinned plot showed higher annual N mineralization than control, lightly and moderately thinned plots, but differences were not statistically significant. Except for the T40 treatment, the ratios of annual net nitrification to annual net N mineralization were greater than 100%. Dry weight and N concentration in decomposing needle litter did not show any significant patterns with thinning intensity. The current results indicated that various levels of thinning for a young Japanese larch plantation had only a minor influence on soil N mineralization and litterfall decomposition during the first year following thinning.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 2539-2550 |
| Number of pages | 12 |
| Journal | Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis |
| Volume | 30 |
| Issue number | 17-18 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1999 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The senior author wishes to acknowledge the financial support of the Korea Research Foundation made in the program year of 1997 (1997-001-G00093). We especially thank Jung-Ah Shin, Hyun Seop Kim, and Ki Hoon Kye for analytical assistance. Dr. Dar Binkley provided helpful comments on the manuscript.
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Agronomy and Crop Science
- Soil Science