Studies on the Dynamic Changes in Plant Nutrients Organs and Underground Vegetation of Chinese Fir Plantations

Determination of nutrient contents is important as it provides theoretical and technical support for tending of the Chinese Fir plantation. In this study, dynamic changes in plant nutrient content in Chinese fir [Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb.) Hook] plantations at different ages were studied. Data on continuous positioning were obtained from a Shangpuzi Woodland Ridge in Suining, Hunan province, China. The results showed that at the same age, different organs of Chinese fir possessed different nutrient content in the following order: needle > twig >bark > root > trunk. The order of each nutrient element was Ca > N > K > Mg > P in bark and root, N > Mg > Ca > K > P in trunk, and Ca > K > N > Mg > P in twig. The nutrient content of plant organs was highest in fast-growing (7 to 12-year old) period, and began to decline when entering the trunk wood stage, though the downward trend differed. The nutrient content in the same organs differed amongst plants of different ages. The variationin nutrient content in the undergrowth vegetation with forest age was comparable to that in the tree layer, whilst the content in the organs exceeded that of the corresponding organs of the tree layer. Upon comparison to the living tree layer, the nutrient content in plant tissues at different growth stages were determinednot only by the genetic and physiological characteristics of the plant itself, but further influenced by temperature, precipitation and other habitat conditions.© 2021Friends Science Publishers