Pedosphere 21(6): 750--752, 2011
ISSN 1002-0160/CN 32-1315/P
©2011 Soil Science Society of China
Published by Elsevier B.V. and Science Press
| Effects of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization on soil pH-plant productivity relationships in upland grasslands of northern Greece |
S. D. VERESOGLOU1 , O. K. VOULGARI1, R. SEN2, A. P. MAMOLOS1 and D. S. VERESOGLOU1 |
1 Faculty of Agriculture, Laboratory of Ecology and Environmental Protection, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki (Greece)
2 Department of Environmental and Geographical Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University, John Dalton Building, Chester Street M15GD, Manchester (UK) |
| ABSTRACT |
| The potential role of soil pH in modulating plant productivity was assessed on the basis of dry mass, harvested in the form of 0.25 m2 quadrats, in two low-productivity upland grasslands of northern Greece subjected to annual factorial nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) fertilization (15 g N m-2 year-1 and 10 g P m-2 year-1) over a minimum period of 3 years. It was hypothesized that under these particular conditions, a positive relationship would exist between soil pH and plant productivity and, further, that N or P fertilizer application of a nutrient limited system, would result in a weakening of this positive relationship. A significant positive relationship was confirmed between soil pH and plant productivity in one of the two study areas and a positive trend in the other. Moreover, plant productivity increase, following fertilization, appeared to have a detrimental effect on the soil pH-plant productivity relationship. Findings support the original hypotheses and strengthen the idea that plant diversity-mediated soil pH-plant productivity relationships are a result of the more intense plant speciation that occurred under the more "typical" soil conditions of higher pH in temperate as opposed to tropical regions. |
| Key Words: altitude, ecological patterns, low productivity grasslands, temperate ecosystems |
| Citation: Veresoglou, S. D., Voulgari, O. K., Sen, R., Mamolos, A. P. and Veresoglou, D. S. 2011. Effects of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization on soil pH-plant productivity relationships in upland grasslands of northern Greece. Pedosphere. 21(6): 750-752. |
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