Interspecific water use strategies of a Juglans regia and Isatis tinctoria/Senna tora agroforestry

Aims Understanding the interspecific water relations is important for designing agroforestry systems. The objective of this study was to determine the water use strategies of component species in a walnut (Juglans regia)-woad (Isatis tinctoria)/sicklepod (Senna tora) agroforestry system.Methods Water sources of component species in a walnut-woad/sicklepod agroforestry system were investigated with the technique of stable deuterium isotope tracing at a site of hilly area in Northern China during 2012-2013.Important findings Results showed that the soil water content in the agroforestry system was 26.74% and 7.93% greater than in the pure woad field in the first half year, and 17.39% and 13.65% greater than in the pure sicklepod field in the second half year (sicklepod growth period), in 2012 and 2013, respectively. The lowest water content was found in the middle of tree rows, and the highest water content was found in the northern side of tree rows or under the trees. In the soil layers measured, the pure woad and pure sicklepod systems had greater hydrogen stable isotope ratios (δ D value) of soil water than in the agroforestry system. During the period of woad growth, more than half of the water absorbed by walnut was from the deeper soil layer (30-80 cm). In contrast, the walnut trees mainly utilized shallow layer (0-30 cm) soil water during the period of sicklepod growth. These findings suggest that walnut has a two-state root system: during the period of woad growth, shallow roots of walnut are not active when soil is dry whereas the sicklepod growth occur in rainy season, and the shallow roots of walnut are active and utilize more shallow soil water supplemented by rainwater. More than 85% of water used by both the woad and the sicklepod were from the shallow layer soil. At the seedling stage, the roots of woad, cannot grow into the deeper soil layer, and the absorbed water is completely from the shallow layer in the pure woad system. However, 5.7% of the water absorbed by the intercropped woad was from the deeper soil layer in 2012, and the proportion increased further (9.7%) in the following year when there was less precipitation. The results confirmed that hydraulic lift effect of walnut occurred on shallow layer crop in dry season, and this effect become greater under drier conditions. Therefore, deeper roots of walnut improved water condition in the walnut- woad/sicklepod agroforestry systems compared to pure crop systems. The walnut mainly utilized water from the deeper layer to avoid water competition with the shallow layer. In the dry season, crops benefited from the water provided by walnut roots through hydraulic lift. Walnut and intercropped plants exhibited water facilitation in the agroforestry systems, suggesting that this configuration is a suitable practice in this area.     

华北石质山区核桃-绿豆复合系统氘同位素变化及其水分利用

通过对比核桃枝条和绿豆茎内δD值差异来分析核桃和绿豆水分来源和利用。结果表明,核桃-绿豆农林复合系统的根系在表层土壤(0—30cm)中交叉存在,生态位重叠。旱季中表层土壤含水量与δD值之间存在显著的负相关关系(R2=0.77,P=0.02),雨季相关关系不显著(R2=0.03,P=0.73)。δD值分析表明,旱季中核桃利用深层土壤(30—80cm)水分占总水分来源的51%以上,雨季中则主要利用浅层土壤水分,间作绿豆和单作绿豆主要利用表层土壤水分。雨季中表层土壤水分能同时满足核桃和绿豆生长需要,但复合系统中光能竞争导致间作绿豆光合速率显著地低于单作绿豆。旱季间作绿豆0—20cm土壤水分含量、凌晨叶片水势和光合速率明显高于单作绿豆,显示间作绿豆体内水分状况好于单作绿豆。线性模型分析结果显示间作绿豆体内约有1.58%—5.39%的水分来核桃夜晚水力提升,表明复合系统在旱季一定程度上缓冲季节性水分胁迫对农作物生长的影响。     

基于稳定碳同位素技术的华北低丘山区核桃-小麦复合系统种间水分利用研究

农林复合系统的林木和作物会充分利用水肥光热等资源、而在资源亏缺时也可能产生竞争,在华北低丘山区等水资源紧缺地区,种间水分竞争尤为突出。在冬小麦返青期、拔节期、灌浆期和成熟期4个生育期,测算了该地区核桃-小麦间作系统和单作小麦不同组分的稳定碳同位素组成(Stable carbon isotope ratio,δ13C)和核桃树干液流,结合生物量和气象数据资料计算出水分利用效率(water use efficiency,WUE)和耗水量(Water use,WU)。结果表明,间作核桃树、间作小麦和单作小麦的WUE分别为10.771—21.233、9.946—19.149和9.878—18.431 mmol C/mol H2O。单作小麦WUE在拔节期显著小于间作小麦。间作系统总耗水量为1755.19 t/hm2,比单作系统的2538.13 t/hm2少30.85%。核桃-小麦间作系统中,核桃耗水量占系统总耗水量的36.34%,在小麦的生长前期所占比例最多、在小麦旺盛生长期所占比重较小,而小麦越往生长后期需水越多。核桃与间作小麦的需水期错开,在时间上避免水分竞争。距离核桃树越近浅层土土壤含水量越高、而深层土越低,表明核桃主要吸收深层水,而间作小麦主要吸收浅层水,从位置上避免水分竞争。单作小麦产量、总生物量和总耗水量分别比核桃间作小麦的高26.79%、27.12%、36.30%(P=0.001、P=0.033、P=0.050)。间作核桃和单作核桃的单株果实产量平均分别为0.88和0.94 kg(P=0.829)。然而,核桃-小麦间作系统的产量土地当量比(Land equivalent ratio,LER)和产值水分利用效率(WUE ofeconomics,WUEe)却分别达到1.67和25.92元.mm-.1hm-2,比单作系统明显提高、水资源获得高效利用,同时具备生产优势和经济优势。     

核桃-小麦复合系统中细根生长动态及竞争策略

以核桃(Juglans regia)-小麦(Triticum aestivum)间作复合系统为研究对象,用微根窗和根钻相结合的方法采样,研究复合系统中核桃和小麦细根年内年际的生长动态和竞争适应策略,为农林复合系统的经营管理和竞争模型的建立提供理论依据和技术支持。结果表明,间作核桃和小麦根系均在上半年有一个大的生长高峰(5月和4月),在下半年有一个小的生长高峰(9月和11月),二者的竞争主要发生在上半年的大生长高峰期。在各年份各土层,间作核桃的根长密度均低于单作核桃,且在从第7年开始存在显著差异。在0—20 cm土层间作小麦根长密度在第3—7年间获得迅速提高,从第7年开始显著高于单作小麦,但在20 cm以下土层则相反。间作使核桃和小麦细根生态位实现了分离,11年的观察期内间作核桃比单作核桃细根的垂直分布中心下移了6.59 cm,间作小麦比单作小麦的上移了8.59 cm。在根系竞争策略方面,小麦根系是通过短期内的快速生长,迅速占据土壤空间获得竞争优势;而核桃根系是通过根系的逐年积累,逐步占据土壤空间从而获得竞争优势。可以干扰核桃根系积累过程的"竞争-干扰-再平衡"农林复合经营管理策略可以让复合系统中核桃和小麦保持各自竞争优势的情况下实现共存。在根系形态方面,自身细根直径较小者小麦在剧烈竞争区域以增加细根直径减小比根长来适应竞争,而自身细根直径较大者核桃则相反。     

林草复合系统地上部分种间互作关系研究进展

林草复合系统因其具有产品多样性、生产高效性、环境友好性等特点,在世界范围内得到普遍应用,同时也是我国西部地区生态环境建设中的重要类型之一。在林草复合系统中,种间互作关系能够直接影响到系统经营的成功与否,因此一直以来都是本领域研究的热点内容。地上部分种间互作关系指发生或表现在地表以上的物种之间直接或间接的相互作用关系,在林草复合系统中主要表现为:系统对林地小气候的影响,林木与牧草在生长和生产过程中的相互作用,系统对生物多样性的影响以及林木的存在和生长与放牧活动之间的相互作用。在林草复合系统中,林分通过对诸多气象要素的调节,为牧草和牲畜的生长发育提供了良好的气象条件;同时牧草通过增加空气湿度、减小土壤和空气温度的变化幅度,可对林木(特别是幼树)起到一定保护作用。牧草能够发生一系列生理生态反应(增加叶面积指数和叶绿素含量、提高光利用效率等),以适应林分对小气候的改变,而其产量和质量会受到系统物种组成、配置模式和林木遮荫的共同影响。林木遮荫通常会降低牧草产量,但会使牧草品质得到一定改善。而热带稀疏草原上孤立树的遮荫和草牧场防护林的庇护,均可有效提高和改善牧草的产量和品质。将低竞争性的牧草(尤其是豆科牧草)引入森林或果园之中,林产品的产量和品质、林木生长特性能够得到相应的提高和改善;但在困难立地条件下进行这样的尝试,由于林草之间存在着激烈的竞争,往往会产生相反的结果。林草复合系统具有多样的物种组成和复杂的系统结构,可为害虫天敌提供丰富的食物和良好生境,有助于实现森林和果园的生态化经营。在有牲畜参与的林草复合系统中,尽管牲畜对林下植被的采食,可增加林木对土壤资源的占有率,而林分对小气候的改善,可有效改善牲畜生产特性和福利状况,但牲畜活动也会对林木造成一些机械伤害,因此有必要对林木进行一定的保护。通过对上述研究的分析总结,可为林草复合系统的设计、建设和经营管理提供一定的经验借鉴,以优化系统结构和资源利用格局,减小物种之间的负面影响,最终实现系统综合收益最大化。未来应加强生理学在林草复合系统种间互作研究中的应用,揭示种间互作结果的生理学原因;构建和完善林草对太阳辐射利用关系的长期动态模型;探索系统增加生物多样性的机理;研究牲畜造成的机械损伤对林木生长的影响及相应防护技术,以及开展林草复合系统地上部分种间互作关系对全球气候变化响应的研究等。     

Increased snowfall weakens complementarity of summer water use by different plant functional groups

Winter snowfall is an important water source for plants during summer in semiarid regions. Snow, rain, soil water, and plant water were sampled for hydrogen and oxygen stable isotopes analyses under control and increased snowfall conditions in the temperate steppe of Inner Mongolia, China. Our study showed that the snowfall contribution to plant water uptake continued throughout the growing season and was detectable even in the late growing season. Snowfall versus rainfall accounted for 30% and 70%, respectively, of the water source for plants, on the basis of hydrogen stable isotope signature (δD) analysis, and accounted for 12% and 88%, respectively, on the basis of oxygen stable isotope signature (δ¹⁸O) analysis. Water use partitioning between topsoil and subsoil was found among species with different rooting depths. Increased snowfall weakened complementarity of plant water use during summer. Our study provides insights into the relationships between precipitation regimes and species interactions in semiarid regions.