Effects of fertilization on soil CO2 flux in Castanea mollissima stand.

In June 2011-June 2012, a fertilization experiment was conducted in a typical Castanea mollissima stand in Lin'an of Zhejiang Province, East China to study the effects of inorganic and organic fertilization on the soil CO₂ flux and the relationships between the soil CO₂ flux and environmental factors. Four treatments were installed, i. e. , no fertilization (CK), inorganic fertilization (IF), organic fertilization (OF), half organic plus half inorganic fertilization (OIF). The soil CO₂ emission rate was determined by the method of static closed chamber/ GC technique, and the soil temperature, soil moisture content, and soil water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) concentration were determined by routine methods. The soil CO₂ emission exhibited a strong seasonal pattern, with the highest rate in July or August and the lowest rate in February. The annual accumulative soil CO₂ emission in CK was 27. 7 t CO₂ ·hm^-2 ·a^-1, and that in treatments IF, OF, and OIF was 29. 5%, 47. 0%, and 50. 7% higher than the CK, respectively. The soil WSOC concentration in treatment IF (105. 1 mg kg^-1) was significantly higher than that in CK (76. 6 mg·kg^-1), but was obviously lower than that in treatments OF (133. 0 mg·kg^-1 ) and OIF (121. 2 mg·kg^-1 ). The temperature sensitivity of respiration (Q₁₀) in treatments CK, IF, OF, and OIF was 1. 47, 1. 75, 1. 49, and 1. 57, respectively. The soil CO₂ emission rate had significant positive correlations with the soil temperature at the depth of 5 cm and the soil WSOC concentration, but no significant correlation with soil moisture content. The increase of the soil WSOC concentration caused by fertilization was probably one of the reasons for the increase of soil CO₂ emission from the C. mollissima stand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]