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Current issue: Volume 22, No. 1 (2022)
Petaja G., Krumšteds L., Zvaigzne Z. 2022. Short-term impact of fertilization on ground vegetation of a deciduous tree plantation depending on tree species and environmental variables. Acta Biol. Univ. Daugavp., 22 (1): 31 – 41.
Abstract
The study investigates the impact of fertilization with ammonium nitrate and wood ash on ground vegetation in a deciduous tree (Betula pendula, Alnus glutinosa, Cerasus avium) plantation. The ground vegetation was surveyed two years after fertilization, and the ground cover of each species was estimated visually. Species richness, diversity, differences in composition, and Ellenberg indicator values were compared between fertilized and control (unfertilized) plots. Detrended Correspondence Analysis (DCA) was performed including soil chemical parameters, Shannon diversity index (H’) and EIVs as explanatory variables. Results show that several nitrophilous species were observed more frequently and had larger cover in the fertilized parcels. DCA reveals that significant differences in species composition between control and fertilized plots can be observed only in case of Cerasus avium. Light is the most influential factor and H’ increases along with increasing EIV for
light. Also, significant differences in H’ values and the number of species between control and fertilized parcels also were found only for sweet cherry. Long-term observations of the plantation are required to determine whether the impact of fertilization observed in this study persists longer.
Keywords: wood ash, ammonium nitrate, ground vegetation, deciduous trees, plantation.
*Corresponding author: Guna Petaja. Latvian State Forest Research Institute “Silava”, Rīgas street 111, Salaspils, LV-2169, Latvia, E-mail: guna.petaja@silava.lv
Linards Krumšteds, Zaiga Zvaigzne. Latvian State Forest Research Institute “Silava”, Rīgas street 111, Salaspils, LV-2169, Latvia, E-mail: linards.krumsteds@silava.lv, zaiga.zvaigzne@silava.lv
