Physical and chemical properties of ecological forest soils using different agroforestry patterns of Chinese fir with medicinal plants

Authors Li Chenchen; Zhou Zaizhi; Liang Kunnan; Huang Guihua; Yang Guang

Journal Journal of Zhejiang a&f University , 2018,1:35

Abstract The objective of this research was to screen out appropriate forest and medicinal plant agroforestry patterns of Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata) with medicinal plants and determine the effect on soil physical and chemical properties so as to promote the reconstruction of an ecological forest and healthy development of an understory-forest economy. A completely randomized block experimental design was used to establish eight agroforestry patterns including [SD (Chinese fir (Cf) + Nauclea officinalis), SS (Cf + Tutcheria championi), SM (Cf + Ilex asprella), SC (Cf + Alpinia katsumadai), SL (Cf + Callicarpa nudiflora), SJ (Cf + Camellia nitidissima), SH (Cf + Taxus chinensis), and ST (Cf + Aquilaria sinensis)] and a control of Chinese fir with six physical and nine chemical indexes at 0-20 cm and 20-40 cm soil layers having three replications. The grey correlation method was used to evaluate the improvement effect. Results showed that eight patterns significantly (P<0.05) improved the surface soil physical properties and nutrient content. SD had the best improvement with higher soil quality water content (50.5%), field water holding capacity (75.1%), and total capillary porosity (36.9%) than the control; whereas, non-capillary porosity in SS was 1.1 times the control. The minimum soil bulk density was reduced 22.3% in SM compared to the control. The highest contents of soil organic matter (41.8%), available N (35.0%), available K (108.1%), total K (35.0%), and total P (108.1%) compared to the control all appeared in SC with soil available P highest in SL. Soil total N reached maximum in SD with cation exchange capacity in SD (32.1%) and SJ (52.0%) higher than the control. The rank of improvement on soil physical and chemical properties for the eight patterns and the control was as SC>SD> SM>SH>SS>SL>ST>SJ>control. So Chinese fir and medicinal plant agroforestry patterns improved soil quality with the best pattern being SC (Alpinia katsumadai with Chinese fir) which was suitable for popularization and application.

Species covered 杉木 Cunninghamia lanceolata 裸花紫珠 Callicarpa nudiflora 土沉香 Aquilaria sinensis 秤星树 Ilex asprella 草豆蔻 Alpinia katsumadai