Asif Muhammad, Nawaz Muhammad Farrakh, Ahmad Irfan, Rashid Muhammad Haroon U, Farooq Taimoor Hassan, Kashif Muhammad, Gul Sadaf, Li Qian
Department of Forestry and Range Management, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan.
Institute of Environmental Studies, University of Karachi, Karachi 75270, Pakistan.
Plants (Basel). 2023 Jun 28;12(13):2468. doi: 10.3390/plants12132468.
Soil compaction has become a global problem affecting soil worldwide. With an increased population, more demands for food and wood have resulted in intensive cultivation and increased mechanization of our farmlands and irrigated plantations. The use of heavy machinery results in soil compaction, which affects the entire soil ecosystem. This study was conducted to analyze the impact of compacted soil on germination and initial growth stages of four major agro-forest trees of central Punjab, Pakistan. Morpho-physiological traits of all selected species (, and ) were measured against soil compaction. Results indicated that the root and shoot length, biomass, root-shoot ratio, diameter at root collar, no. of leaves and branches, leaf area, germination, and survival %, and physiological traits (i.e., photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate, stomatal conductance, internal CO concentration, and photosynthetic water use efficiency) were significantly affected by the induced soil compaction. Dehnh. performed better and exhibited 96% germination percentage under (1.40 mg m) compaction level and gradually decreased by 11% with the increase of compaction level (1.80 mg m). It shows that the shorter roots developed due to soil compaction decreased water use efficiency, photosynthesis, and whole-plant physiological performance. The findings concluded that judicious use of machinery is highly desired for sustainable and good-quality wood production from farm trees.
土壤压实已成为一个影响全球土壤的全球性问题。随着人口增加，对粮食和木材的更多需求导致了集约化种植以及我们农田和灌溉种植园机械化程度的提高。重型机械的使用导致土壤压实，这影响了整个土壤生态系统。本研究旨在分析压实土壤对巴基斯坦旁遮普省中部四种主要农林树木发芽和初始生长阶段的影响。针对土壤压实情况测量了所有选定物种（、和）的形态生理特征。结果表明，诱导的土壤压实显著影响了根和茎的长度、生物量、根冠比、根颈直径、叶和枝的数量、叶面积、发芽率和存活率，以及生理特征（即光合速率、蒸腾速率、气孔导度、胞间二氧化碳浓度和光合水分利用效率）。德恩（Dehnh.）表现较好，在（1.40毫克/立方米）压实水平下发芽率达96%，随着压实水平增加（1.80毫克/立方米）发芽率逐渐降低11%。这表明由于土壤压实形成的较短根系降低了水分利用效率、光合作用和整株植物的生理性能。研究结果得出结论，为了从农用树木实现可持续和高质量木材生产，明智地使用机械非常必要。
