Soil Quality Evaluation in Mono and Mixed Eucalypt Plantation

作者：Arthur Prudêncio de Araújo Pereira, Maurício Roberto Cherubin, Ademir Sérgio Ferreira de Araújo, Maiele Cintra Santana, Érika Valente de Medeiros, Diogo Paes da Costa, Adijaílton José de Souza, Antonio Yan Viana Lima, Danilo Ferreira da Silva, Paula A. C. Estrada, Lucas William Mendes, Jay Prakash Verma, Lydie‐Stella Koutika, Elke Jurandy Bran Nogueira Cardoso · 发表于：Sustainability · 年份：2024 · DOI：10.3390/su16062534 · 被引用次数：7 · 研究领域：Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics、Soil and Land Suitability Analysis、Soil Management and Crop Yield

Soil quality (SQ) pertains to the intricate and ongoing capacity of soil to function as a thriving ecosystem that supports the growth of plants and animals. However, there is a limited understanding of SQ assessment in mixed forest plantations. Therefore, we formulated and tested the hypothesis that the inclusion of a nitrogen-fixing tree species (such as Acacia mangium) improves SQ indicators in mixed treatments involving Eucalyptus trees. To evaluate the changes in SQ, we conducted a field experiment that employed the Soil Management Assessment Framework (SMAF) tool to analyze pure and mixed plantations of Eucalyptus grandis and A. mangium. Soil samples were collected at a depth of 0–20 cm from different treatments, including pure E. grandis without nitrogen fertilization (E), pure A. mangium (A), pure E. grandis with nitrogen fertilization (E + N), and mixed E. grandis and A. mangium (E + A). Sampling took place at 27 and 39 months after planting. We selected seven indicators of SQ: two biological indicators (soil microbial biomass carbon and β-glucosidase enzyme activity), four chemical indicators (soil organic carbon, pH, available phosphorus, and potassium), and one physical indicator (bulk density). By applying the SMAF tool, we determined the SQ scores for each indicator. The results revealed that E + A stands exhibited higher SMAF scores than pure stands, particularly in terms of pH (0.49 and 0.52 at 27 and 39 months, respectively) and phosphorus levels (0.84 and 0.8...