Stones and Organic Mulches Improve the Quercus Ilex L. Afforestation Success Under Mediterranean Climatic Conditions     

María Noelia Jimnez  Emilia Fernndez‐Ondoo  María ngeles Ripoll  Juan Castro‐Rodríguez  Lynn Huntsinger  Francisco Bruno Navarro 《Land Degradation \u0026amp; Development》2016,27(2):357-365

This work studies the influence of two mulching treatments on soil properties and the field performance of afforested holm‐oak seedlings (Quercus ilex L. subsp. ballota (Desf.) Samp.) nine years after outplanting. Mulching treatments composed of stones, forest debris, and an untreated control were randomly applied to 180 seedlings (n = 60) in January 2001 at the bed level (1 × 1 m) in an abandoned agricultural field in SE Spain. Survival, growth measured by means of leaf area, and nutrient concentrations in leaves and soil were measured. Both mulches provided higher survival and greater leaf‐area growth than the control, but did not differ in leaf‐nutrient concentration. Most of the analysed soil variables were not affected by the mulching treatments at the end of the study period, and, therefore, the soil properties changes by mulching might be slower than expected under semi‐arid conditions. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.  相似文献