Decomposition of harvest residues and soil chemical properties in a Eucalyptus urophylla × grandis plantation under different residue management practices in southern China

Retained residues can return large amounts of nutrients to soil in high-intensity management eucalypt plantations, in which recycling of nutrients is critical for soil quality and forest sustainability. However, the effects of different residue treatments on eucalypt residue decomposition remain unclear. The aim in this study was to determine residue decomposition and nutrient release and soil chemical properties under different treatments of residues in a Eucalyptus urophylla × grandis plantation in southern China. Harvest residues were removed (RR), retained and spread evenly on the soil surface (ER), or retained but stacked into strips on the soil surface (SR). Decomposition of leaves was significantly faster than that of twigs and thick branches and was negatively correlated with initial carbon:nitrogen ratio. The loss of potassium was rapid, whereas losses of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus were generally slow. Compared with SR, mass loss and nutrient release accelerated significantly in ER, with shorter half-lives of leaves, twigs, and thick branches. The lowest levels of soil nutrients were in RR, but there were no significant differences between ER and SR. Thus, in this study, residue decomposition was affected by residue type and residue treatment. Decomposition of residues affected soil nutrients by affecting nutrient outflow. In the ER treatment, residues accelerated nutrient cycling and facilitated the accumulation of soil organic carbon, but appropriate fertilization is still needed in E. urophylla × grandis plantations. However, future studies are required to determine whether changes in decomposition rate under different residue management practices lead to long-term changes in soil organic carbon content.