School of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, Anhui Agricultural University, 130 Changjiang W Rd, Hefei, 230036, Anhui, China.
Sci Rep. 2023 Mar 28;13(1):5058. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-32237-9.
The evaluation of soil quality can provide new insights into the sustainable management of forests. This study investigated the effects of three types of forest management intensities (non-management (CK), extensive management (EM), and intensive management (IM)), and five management durations (0, 3, 8, 15, and 20 years) on the soil quality of a Carya dabieshanensis forest. Further, minimum data sets (MDS) and optimized minimum data sets (OMDS) were established to evaluate the soil quality index (SQI). A total of 20 soil indicators representing its physical, chemical, and biological properties were measured for the 0-30 cm layer. Using one-way ANOVA and principal component analysis (PCA), the total data set (TDS), the minimum data set (MDS), and optimized minimum data set (OMDS) were established. The MDS and OMDS contained three (alkali hydrolyzed nitrogen (AN), soil microbial biomass nitrogen (SMBN), and pH) and four (total phosphorus (TP), soil organic carbon (SOC), AN, and bulk density (BD)) soil indicators, respectively. The SQI derived from the OMDS and TDS exhibited a stronger correlation (r = 0.94, p < 0.01), which was suitable for evaluating the soil quality of the C. dabieshanensis forest. The evaluation results revealed that the soil quality was highest during the early stage of intensive management (IM-3), and the SQI of each soil layer was 0.81 ± 0.13, 0.47 ± 0.11, and 0.38 ± 0.07, respectively. With extended management times, the degree of soil acidification increased, and the nutrient content decreased. Compared with the untreated forest land the soil pH, SOC, and TP decreased by 2.64-6.24%, 29.43-33.04%, and 43.63-47.27%, respectively, following 20 years of management, while the SQI of each soil layer decreased to 0.35 ± 0.09, 0.16 ± 0.02 and 0.12 ± 0.06, respectively. In contrast to extensive management, the soil quality deteriorated more rapidly under longer management and intensive supervision. The OMDS established in this study provides a reference for the assessment of soil quality in C. dabieshanensis forests. In addition, it is suggested that the managers of C. dabieshanensis forests should implement measures such as increasing the amount of P-rich organic fertilizer and restoring vegetation to increase soil nutrient resources for the gradual restoration of soil quality.
土壤质量评价可为森林的可持续管理提供新的见解。本研究调查了三种森林管理强度（非管理（CK）、粗放管理（EM）和集约管理（IM））和五种管理持续时间（0、3、8、15 和 20 年）对麻栎林土壤质量的影响。此外，建立了最小数据集（MDS）和优化最小数据集（OMDS）来评估土壤质量指数（SQI）。共测量了代表其物理、化学和生物特性的 20 个土壤指标，深度为 0-30 cm。使用单向方差分析和主成分分析（PCA），建立了总数据集（TDS）、最小数据集（MDS）和优化最小数据集（OMDS）。MDS 和 OMDS 分别包含三个（碱解氮（AN）、土壤微生物生物量氮（SMBN）和 pH）和四个（总磷（TP）、土壤有机碳（SOC）、AN 和容重（BD））土壤指标。从 OMDS 和 TDS 得出的 SQI 相关性更强（r=0.94，p<0.01），更适合评价麻栎林的土壤质量。评价结果表明，集约管理（IM-3）早期土壤质量最高，各土层 SQI 分别为 0.81±0.13、0.47±0.11 和 0.38±0.07。随着管理时间的延长，土壤酸化程度增加，养分含量减少。与未处理林地相比，经过 20 年管理后，土壤 pH、SOC 和 TP 分别下降了 2.64-6.24%、29.43-33.04%和 43.63-47.27%，各土层 SQI 分别下降至 0.35±0.09、0.16±0.02 和 0.12±0.06。与粗放管理相比，长期管理和密集监督下土壤质量恶化速度更快。本研究建立的 OMDS 为麻栎林土壤质量评价提供了参考。此外，建议麻栎林管理者应采取增加富磷有机肥用量和恢复植被等措施，增加土壤养分资源，逐步恢复土壤质量。
