The Circulation of Organic Matter and Nutrient in Beech Stands

1990

S. 83-98

3 Abb., 7 Tab., 14 Lit. Ang.

Unselbständiges Werk

200053085

In the course of the investigation of beech stands in Hungary, the volume of growing stock, leaves, branches, stems, and their nitrogen, phosphour and potassium content were determined in ten experimental plots in the Bakony Mountains and Danube-bend region. Their sites, including the available nutrient content of the soils, were also analysed. The total overground dry matter of the investigated beech stand ranged from 26 to 460 t depending on the age. The mass of the leaves at age 6 amounted to 56% of the total overground organic matter. However, the ratio decreased to 1% by the age 112. With the increase in age, the mass of branches decreases, the mass of stem, at the same time, increases (Table 1). The nutrient percentile values of the organic matter of beech stands investigated on lessivated brown forest soil and ranker soil do not show differences. The nutrient ratios in the leaves are the highest (N2 2.32%, P2O5 0.25%, K2O 0.96%) and in the stems the lowest (N2 013%, P2O5 0.11%, K2O 0.13%), (Table 2). The nutrient content of the overground matter of beech stands, as well as that of the total wood volume, volume over 5 cm, and of annual current increment per m3 were also determined (Table 4). The annual organic matter circulation of the investigated beech stands was elaborated (Table 5). According to the investigation carried out over 10 years on the litter circulation of a beech stand at Goedoello, the 44% of the litter volume originates from leaves. The N2, P2O5 and K2O content of the leaves represent 41.34 and 44 per cent, respectively, of the total quantity of these elements in the litter. Comparing the nutrient up-take of six beech stands with the available nutrient content of the tilth of the soils (Table 7), it is unambiguosly verified that sites are able to meet large multiple of the nutrient needs of stands. On the average, the tilth of the soils is capable of meeting the N, P and K needs of beech stands by 7.164 and 80 times, if it is supposed that 5% of the total N content of the soils may be taken up by the trees. The annual nutrient needs of beech stands is equal to the quantity of nutrients represented in the current increment. Namely, the nutrients used for the development of foliage, bud scale, flower and fruit get back into the soil by their falling down and composition in litter. This is demonstrated by the nutrient circulation of a beech stand of age 66 at Pilisszentlelek.