Evaluation of changes in the chemical and biological soil properties of Brant`s oak (Quercus brantii Lindl.) forests in the Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province, Iran

Document Type : Research article

Authors

1 Corresponding author, Assistant Prof., Forest Research Division, Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands, Agriculture, Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Tehran, Iran

2 Research Expert, Forest Research Division, Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands, Agriculture, Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Tehran, Iran

3 Associate Prof., Research Division of Natural Resources, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, AREEO, Shahrekord, Iran

4 Associate Prof., Forest Research Division, Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands, Agriculture, Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Tehran, Iran

10.22092/ijfpr.2023.360374.2075

Abstract

Forest destruction causes soil destruction as the basis of terrestrial ecosystem life. Therefore, monitoring the soil and evaluating the process of changes over time can prevent the destruction of the soil and consequently the ecosystems with scientific data. In this study, the chemical and biological properties of soil were investigated in two Brant's oak (Quercus brantii Lindl.) sites, Chari and Mavarz, as a part of Zagros Forests in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province, Iran. Soil samples were collected from a depth of 0-10 cm and chemical and biological characteristics were measured in two years 2019 and 2021. The results in Chari site showed that the values of organic carbon, organic matter, substrate induced respiration, and nitrification potential increased significantly in the second year compared to the first year. This finding can be attributed to the more species diversity, higher canopy percentage, and relative protection of the Chari site. While in Mavarz site, only electrical conductivity and dry weight of soil showed significant changes in the second year compared to the first year which could be caused by livestock grazing and decrease in rainfall. The trend of changes in the Chari site has been positive which made improvement of some soil characteristics. Generally, management based on protecting the Zagros habitats as well as its positive effect on the biological and chemical characteristics of the soil can have a significant role in the health of oak trees which are encountering the oak decline.

Keywords

References

- Amusan, A.A., Shitu, A.K., Makinde, W.O. and Orewole, O., 2006. Assessment of changes in selected soil properties under different land use in Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. Electronic Journal of Environmental, Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 5(1): 1178-1184.
- Anonymous, 2000. Provincial synthesis studies: The comprehensive plan for revitalization and development of agriculture and natural resources of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province. Soil report, The Sixth volume. Publication of Ministry of Agriculture Jahad, Tehran, Iran, 220p (In Persian).
- Berg P. and Rosswall, T., 1985. Ammonium oxidizer numbers, potential and actual oxidation rates in two Swedish arable soils. Biology and Fertility of Soils, 1: 131-140.
- Bremner, J.M. and Mulvaney, C.S., 1982. Nitrogen-total: 595-624. In: Page, A.L., Miller, R.H. and Keeney, D.R. (Eds.). Methods of Soil Analysis, Part 2: Chemical and Microbiological Properties, Second Edition. American Society of Agronomy, Inc., Soil Science Society of America, Inc., Madison, Wisconsin, 1159p.
- Brevik, E.C., Fenton, T.E. and Lazari, A., 2006. Soil electrical conductivity as a function of soil water content and implications for soil mapping. Precision Agriculture, 7: 393-404.
- Corwin, D.L. and Lesch, S.M., 2003. Application of soil electrical conductivity to precision agriculture: theory, principles, and guidelines. Agronomy Journal, 95: 455-471
- Deng, J., Zhou, Y., Zhu, W. and Yin, Y., 2020. Effects of afforestation with Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica plantations combined with enclosure management on soil microbial community. PeerJ, 8: e8857.
- Feyisa, K., Beyene, S., Angassa, A., Said, M.Y., de Leeuw, J., Abebe, A. and Megers, B., 2017. Effects of enclosure management on carbon sequestration, soil properties and vegetation attributes in East African rangelands. Catena, 159: 9-19.
- Fujii, K., Funakawa, S. and Kosaki, T., 2012. Soil acidification: natural processes and human impact. Pedologist, 55: 415-425.
- Hajabbasi, M., Besalatpour, A. and Melali, A.R., 2008. Impacts of converting rangelands to cultivated land on physical and chemical properties of soils in west and southwest of Isfahan. Journal of Water and Soil Science, 11(42): 525-534 (In Persian with English summary).
- He, Y., Xu, M., Qi, Y., Dong, Y., He, X., Li, J., … and Sun, L., 2017. Differential responses of soil microbial community to four-decade long grazing and cultivation in a semi-arid grassland. Sustainability, 9(1): 128.
- Isermeyer, H., 1952. Eine einfache Methode zur Bestimmung der Bodenatmung und der Karbonate im Boden. Zeitschrift für Pflanzenernährung, Düngung, Bodenkunde, 56: 26-38 (In German).
- Jackson, R.B., Lajtha, K., Crow, S.E., Hugelius, G., Kramer, M.G. and Piñeiro, G., 2017. The ecology of soil carbon: Pools, vulnerabilities, and biotic and abiotic controls. Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics, 48: 419-445.
- Jin, J., Wang, L., Müller, K., Wu, J., Wang, H., Zhao, K., Berninger, F. and Fu, W., 2021. A 10‑year monitoring of soil properties dynamics and soil fertility evaluation in Chinese hickory plantation regions of southeastern China. Scientific Reports, 11(1): 23531.
- Kooch, Y., Sanji, R. and Tabari, M., 2018. Increasing tree diversity enhances microbial and enzyme activities in temperate Iranian forests. Trees, 32: 809-822.
- Lange, M., Eisenhauer, N., Sierra, C.A., Bessler, H., Engels, C., Griffiths, R.I., … and Gleixner, G., 2015. Plant diversity increases soil microbial activity and soil carbon storage. Nature Communications, 6(1): 6707.
- Liu, H., Yang, X., Liang, C., Li, Y., Qiao, L., Ai, Z., ... and Liu, G., 2019. Interactive effects of microplastics and glyphosate on the dynamics of soil dissolved organic matter in a Chinese loess soil. Catena, 182: 104177.
- McLean, E.O., 1982. Soil pH and lime requirement: 199-224. In: Page, A.L., Miller, R.H. and Keeney, D.R. (Eds.). Methods of Soil Analysis, Part 2: Chemical and Microbiological Properties, Second Edition. American Society of Agronomy, Inc., Soil Science Society of America, Inc., Madison, Wisconsin, 1159p.
- Olsen, S.R. and Sommers, L.E., 1982. Phosphorus: 403-430. In: Page, A.L., Miller, R.H. and Keeney, D.R. (Eds.). Methods of Soil Analysis, Part 2: Chemical and Microbiological Properties, Second Edition. American Society of Agronomy, Inc., Soil Science Society of America, Inc., Madison, Wisconsin, 1159p.
- Ratcliffe, S., Bosman, B. and Carnol, M., 2018. Spatial and temporal variability of biological indicators of soil quality in two forest catchments in Belgium. Applied Soil Ecology, 126: 148-159.
- Rezaie, R. and Raiesi, F., 2016. Effect of superabsorbent polymers on soil microbial respiration and biomass under drought stress condition. Journal of Soil Biology, 3(2): 151-162 (In Persian with English summary).
- Rodríguez, A., Durán, J., Fernández-Palacios, J.M. and Gallardo, A., 2009. Spatial pattern and scale of soil N and P fractions under the influence of a leguminous shrub in a Pinus canariensis forest. Geoderma, 151(3-4): 303-310.
- Safar Alizadeh Herisi, G., Borghei, A.M. and Sharifi Malvajerdi, A., 2020. Effect of compaction and soil moisture on apparent electrical conductivity of soil and rolling resistance of tractor tire. Journal of Agricultural Machinery, 10(2): 299-311 (In Persian with English summary).
- Schittko, C., Onandia, G., Bernard-Verdier, M., Heger, T., Jeschke, J.M., Kowarik, I., … and Joshi, J., 2022. Biodiversity maintains soil multifunctionality and soil organic carbon in novel urban ecosystems. Journal of Ecology, 110(4): 916-936.
- Schlichting, E. and Blumer, H.P., 1990. Methods of Soil Analysis. Hamburg, Germany, 568p.
- Shang, Z., Cao, J., Guo, R., Henkin, Z., Ding, L., Long, R. and Deng, B., 2017. Effect of enclosure on soil carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus of Alpine desert rangeland. Land Degradation and Development, 28(4): 1166-1177.
- Tao, H., Liao, X., Li, Y., Xu, C., Zhu, G. and Cassidy, D.P., 2020. Quantifying influences of interacting anthropogenic-natural factors on trace element accumulation and pollution risk in karst soil. Science of the Total Environment, 721: 137770.
- Vance, E.D. and Nadkarni, N.M., 1990. Microbial biomass and activity in canopy organic matter and the forest floor of a tropical cloud forest. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 22: 677-684.
- Walkley, A. and Black, I.A., 1934. An examination of the Degtjareff method for determining soil organic matter, and a proposed modification of the chromic acid titration method. Soil Science, 37(1): 29-38.
- Wang, H.M., Wang, W.J., Chen, H., Zhang, Z., Mao, Z. and Zu, Y.G., 2014.Temporal changes of soil physic-chemical properties at different soil depths during larch afforestation by multivariate analysis of covariance. Ecology and Evolution, 4(7): 1039-1048.
- Wu, Y., Shaaban, M., Deng, C., Peng, Q. and Hu, R., 2017. Changes in the soil N potential mineralization and nitrification in a rice paddy after 20 yr application of chemical fertilizers and organic matter. Canadian Journal of Soil Science, 97(2): 290-299.
- Zeng, X., Song, Y., Zhang, W. and He, S., 2018. Spatio-temporal variation of soil respiration and its driving factors in semi-arid regions of North China. Chinese Geographical Science, 28(1): 12-24.
- Zhang, Q., Wang, Q., Zhu, J., Xu, L., Li, M., Rengel, Z., ... and He, N., 2021. Higher soil acidification risk in southeastern Tibetan Plateau. Science of the Total Environment, 755(2): 143372.

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics