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Belowground carbon allocation and net primary and ecosystem productivities in apple trees (Malus domestica) as affected by soil water availability

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Abstract

Background and aims

Fruit orchards potential as carbon (C) sinks is virtually unknown. Moreover, despite their importance in the Mediterranean area, few data are available about the effect of the reduction in water availability on fruit tree productivity. Here we report the effect of two different irrigation regimes on net primary (NPP) and net ecosystem (NEP) productivities of an apple orchard in northern Italy in 2006.

Methods

Trees productivity and heterotrophic soil respiration were estimated by inventory and root exclusion methods, while belowground allocation with a C mass-balance approach.

Results

The NPP of the control (7.86 ± 0.25 Mg C ha-1; mean ± SE) was significantly greater than that of water stressed trees (6.53 ± 0.12 Mg C ha-1), and the ratio between above and below net primary productivity (ANPP/BNPP) was 1.88 and 0.98 respectively. However, the partitioning of ANPP and BNPP among aerial organs and among fine, coarse roots, and root litter was unaffected by the water regime. Although NEP was greater in the control than in stressed trees the C gain of the system after fruit removal (NEPafr) was unaffected by water availability.

Conclusions

This study indicated an effect of water availability on C partitioning patterns above- and belowground, although there were no significant effects on the C sink potential as NEPafr.

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Abbreviations

ANPP:

Aboveground net primary productivity

BNPP:

Belowground net primary productivity

NPP:

Net primary productivity

NEP:

Net ecosystem productivity

NEPafr :

Net ecosystem productivity after fruit removal

TBCA:

Total belowground carbon allocation

Ccr :

Carbon in coarse roots

Cfr :

Carbon in fine roots

Cff :

Carbon in fruit

Clf :

Carbon in litterfall

Cr :

Carbon in root standing biomass

Crf :

Carbon input from roots to soil

Csoil :

Carbon in soil

Csb :

Carbon in annual shoots

Csw :

Carbon in aboveground woody organs

DOY:

Day of the year

Fr :

Rhizosphere associated soil respiration

Fs :

Total soil respiration

Fsoc :

SOM-derived soil respiration

SOC:

Soil organic carbon

SOM:

Soil organic matter

TLA:

Total leaf area

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Acknowledgements

The research was funded by the Italian Ministry of University and Research through the National Project "PRIN 2004, Carbon cycle in managed tree ecosystems". We thank Enrico Muzzi (University of Bologna) for the support in the statistical analysis, Dr. Christian Davies (Shell Research Ltd.) for the preliminary review of the manuscript and two anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of fruit trees and woody plants sciences, University of Bologna, Viale Fanin, 46, 40127, Bologna, Italy

    Pietro Panzacchi & Marco Zibordi

  2. Faculty of Science and Technology - Piazza Università, Free University of Bolzano/Bozen, 5, 39100, Bolzano-Bozen, Italy

    Giustino Tonon, Christian Ceccon, Francesca Scandellari, Maurizio Ventura & Massimo Tagliavini

  3. Shell Research Ltd. Shell Technology Centre Thornton, P.O. Box 1, Chester, CH1 3SH, UK

    Pietro Panzacchi

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  1. Pietro Panzacchi
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  2. Giustino Tonon
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Correspondence to Pietro Panzacchi.

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Panzacchi, P., Tonon, G., Ceccon, C. et al. Belowground carbon allocation and net primary and ecosystem productivities in apple trees (Malus domestica) as affected by soil water availability. Plant Soil 360, 229–241 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-012-1235-2

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