Nitrogen Fixation, Soil Nitrogen Availability, and Biomass in Pure and Mixed Plantations of Alder and Pine in Central Korea

ABSTRACT

Rates of nitrogen (N) fixation, soil N availability, and aboveground biomass were measured in 27-year-old pure and mixed Alnus hirsuta and Pinus koraiensis plantations in central Korea. Nodule biomass and N fixation were 179.3 kg ha^{− 1} and 46.6 kg ha^{− 1}yr^{− 1} for the pure A. hirsuta plantation (PA) and 95.2 kg ha^{− 1} and 41.1 kg ha^{− 1}yr^{− 1} for the mixed A. hirsuta + P. koraiensis plantation (MAP), respectively. A. hirsuta seemed to provide more than two thirds of annual N requirement for P. koraiensis.Rates of acetylene reduction were significantly related to soil temperature (R² = 0.51, P < 0.001), but not to soil moisture content. Total inorganic N [ammonium (NH₄ ⁺)plus nitrate (NO₃ ⁻)] availability measured using ion exchange bags were significantly higher under PA (27.91 μ g-N bag^{− 1}) and MAP (31.34 μ g-N bag^{− 1}) than under the pure P. koraiensis plantation (PP) (14.31 μ g-N bag^{− 1}). Especially soils under the influence of A. hirsuta showed at least 2 fold increase in resin total inorganic N concentrations. Total aboveground biomass (Mg ha^{− 1}) was 147.3 for PA, 145.8 for MAP, and 174.8 for PP, respectively, and was not significantly different among plantations. A. hirsuta significantly increased soil N availability; however, the influence of N fixation on aboveground biomass was not significant for the study plantations.

Keywords:

• aboveground biomass
• A. hirsuta
• nitrogen availability
• nitrogen fixation
• P. koraiensis

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

Funding for this study was provided by Korea University.