(From XIEG) In recent years, the Tianshan wild fruit forest ecosystem in China has suffered significant damages due to various factors. This is particularly evident in Xinyuan County, Xinjiang, where the population of wild apple trees has declined dramatically, with a mortality rate reaching as high as 80%.

A group of researchers led by Prof. ZHANG Yuanming from the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography (XIEG) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences conducted a four-year nutrient addition experiment in a wild fruit forest in Xinyuan County, Xinjiang.

Their findings were published in Plant, Cell and Environment on August 26.

They investigated the responses of functional traits of Xinjiang wild apple seedlings (Malus sieversii) to varying levels of nitrogen addition, phosphorus addition, and nitrogen-phosphorus interaction.

Plant trait network analysis (PTNs) was employed to explore the differences among multiple traits at different levels, and to determine the most effective nutrient management strategies for Xinjiang wild apple seedlings.

They found that Xinjiang wild apple seedlings exhibited differential responses to nitrogen (N) addition, phosphorus (P) addition, and the N×P interaction at the physiological level. Specifically, N addition had a significant effect on leaf-specific and wood-specific hydraulic conductivity, and percentage loss of conductivity; P addition only had a significant effect on wood-specific hydraulic conductivity; N×P interaction had no significant effect on all physiological traits.

“For wild apple seedlings in this region, N10 (10 g m?2 yr?1) and N20 (20g m?2 yr?1) are the most suitable fertilizer types, in contrast, phosphorus fertilizers were less suitable,”said ZHANG Yuanming, corresponding author of the study.

This study provided deep insight into the nutrient requirements for the cultivation of Xinjiang wild apple seedlings, and for developing protection and management strategies for the Tianshan wild fruit forest ecosystem.

Article link: https://doi.org/10.1111/pce.15100

Effects of different nitrogen and phosphorus additions on wild apple seedlings (Image by XIEG)

Contact

LONG Huaping

Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography

E-mail: longhp@ms.xjb.ac.cn

Web: http://english.egi.cas.cn