Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
4.5
2.9
Journals
Forests
Special Issues
Dynamics of Upland Soil for Agroforestry Crops
share announcement

Dynamics of Upland Soil for Agroforestry Crops

A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Forest Soil".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 February 2023) | Viewed by 8109

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Xuan Chen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
Interests: physiology and ecology of tea plants; soil science
Prof. Dr. Xinghui Li

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Horticulture, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
Interests: tea biology; tea cultivation; tea processing; tea quality and safety control
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Upland soil is quite different from plain soil, which is often accompanied by soil depletion, water shortage, and other situations. Further, planting agroforestry crops in upland areas is closely related to nutrient level, micro-ecology, and the physical and chemical properties of soil. This Special Issue focuses on the research of correlation between the dynamic changes of soil and properties of agroforestry crops planted in upland soil, such as the yield, quality, secondary metabolism, biological and abiotic stresses, nutrient absorption, and diseases. This Special Issue aims to investigate the effects of the soil environment on agroforestry plant growth, as well as the influence of  artificial intervention on crop yield, quality, and environment. 

  • Effects of soil trace elements on agroforestry crops in upland;
  • Effects of soil microecology on agricultural and forestry crops in upland;
  • Effects of soil macroelements and fertilizers on agroforestry crops and soil environment in upland;
  • Effects of various cultivation measures on the growth of agroforestry crops and soil in upland;
  • Effects of different agronomic practices on the secondary metabolism of agroforestry crops in upland;
  • Biotic and abiotic stresses from upland soils.

Prof. Dr. Xuan Chen
Prof. Dr. Xinghui Li
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Forests is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • agroforestry crops
  • upland soil
  • ecology
  • nutrition
  • stress
  • secondary metabolism
  • fertilizer
  • trace elements

Published Papers (5 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

15 pages, 3745 KiB  
Article
Effects of Long-Term Application of Earthworm Bio-Organic Fertilization Technology on Soil Quality and Organo-Mineral Complex in Tea Garden
by Huan Li, Yang Zhou, Huiling Mei, Jianlong Li, Xuan Chen, Qiwei Huang, Xinghui Li and Jinchi Tang
Forests 2023, 14(2), 225; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14020225 - 25 Jan 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1699
Abstract
Soil quality is crucial for plant productivity and environmental quality sustainability. Applying bio-organic fertilizer to achieve sustainable agriculture has become popular. Tea garden soil which had been fertilized for 12 years was chosen for the study, and soil quality and microaggregate composition were [...] Read more.
Soil quality is crucial for plant productivity and environmental quality sustainability. Applying bio-organic fertilizer to achieve sustainable agriculture has become popular. Tea garden soil which had been fertilized for 12 years was chosen for the study, and soil quality and microaggregate composition were studied. The results showed that earthworm bio-organic fertilizer treatment could increase the indicators of soil’s physical and chemical properties such as total carbon and total nitrogen in soil. Bio-organic fertilization technology could significantly increase the number and activity of soil microorganisms, and upgrade soil enzyme activity which was related to soil nutrients. Specifically, the activities of urease in soil were markedly enhanced due to the implication of bio-organic fertilizer. Additionally, SR-FTIR analysis revealed that clay minerals were connected as nuclei with the capacity to bind carbon, and that this interaction was aided by organic fertilization. Specifically, the replacement of chemical fertilizer with organic fertilizer can improve the ability of clay minerals and iron/aluminum/silicon oxides to protect aliphatic groups, polysaccharides and proteins. In conclusion, continuous organic amendments initialize a positive feedback loop for the maintenance of the organic–mineral complex in soils, which can contribute to enhanced soil organic carbon (SOC) storage. These results confirmed the feasibility of organic fertilizer for soil quality improvement in tea plantation ecosystems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dynamics of Upland Soil for Agroforestry Crops)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

18 pages, 8281 KiB  
Article
Response of the Soil Fungal Community and Its Function during the Conversion of Forestland to Tea Plantations: A Case Study in Southeast China
by Feng Wang, Yuzhen Chen, Xiaomin Yu, Wenquan Yu, Zhiming You and Zhenbiao Yang
Forests 2023, 14(2), 209; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14020209 - 21 Jan 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1575
Abstract
Land-use change is one of the most important driving factors of change in soil microbial diversity. Deforestation for tea plantations has transformed large areas of forestland in hilly areas of Southeast China. However, its impact on the soil fungal community structures and functions [...] Read more.
Land-use change is one of the most important driving factors of change in soil microbial diversity. Deforestation for tea plantations has transformed large areas of forestland in hilly areas of Southeast China. However, its impact on the soil fungal community structures and functions is still understudied. We compared the soil fungal communities and their functions in forestland (FD), a 3-year-old tea plantation (ZC3) and a 30-year-old tea plantation (ZC30) at 0–20 cm and 20–40 cm soil depths. The soil fungal community compositions and potential functions were analyzed using high-throughput sequencing techniques coupled with FUNGuild analysis. The results showed that the initial conversion from forestland to tea plantations significantly decreased soil fungal diversity. With an increase in the tea plantation age, the soil fungal diversity rebounded. The dominant phyla included Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, unclassified_k_fungi and Mortierellomycota, which were identified in all soil samples and accounted for 90% of all fungal communities. Non-metric multidimensional scaling analysis (NMDS) indicated that the soil fungal community was more responsive to the duration of tea planting than to the soil depth. FUNGuild analysis showed that the relative abundance of pathogenic and pathotrophic-saprotrophic fungi was higher while saprotrophs were lower in ZC30 compared with FD. Among the analyzed soil properties, soil available nitrogen, available phosphorus, available potassium and bulk density were the prime factors affecting the abundance and diversity of soil fungal community compositions. Network analysis showed that fungal microbial taxa increased positive interactions to enhance the adaptability of fungal microorganisms to long-term tea planting. Collectively, our results provide a clear view on the dynamic yet differential responses of fungal communities to land-use changes, and further emphasizes the need for long-term conventional tea plantations to adopt sustainable agricultural practices to reduce soil pathogenic fungi. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dynamics of Upland Soil for Agroforestry Crops)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 5109 KiB  
Article
Deep Learning Model for Soil Environment Quality Classification of Pu-erh Tea
by Xiaobo Cai, Wenxia Yuan, Xiaohui Liu, Xinghua Wang, Yaping Chen, Xiujuan Deng, Qi Wu, Ke Han, Zhiyong Cao, Wendou Wu and Baijuan Wang
Forests 2022, 13(11), 1778; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13111778 - 27 Oct 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1400
Abstract
Pu-erh tea, Camellia sinensis is a traditional Chinese tea, one of the black teas, originally produced in China’s Yunnan Province, named after its origin and distribution center in Pu-erh, Yunnan. Yunnan Pu-erh tea is protected by geographical Indication and has unique quality characteristics. [...] Read more.
Pu-erh tea, Camellia sinensis is a traditional Chinese tea, one of the black teas, originally produced in China’s Yunnan Province, named after its origin and distribution center in Pu-erh, Yunnan. Yunnan Pu-erh tea is protected by geographical Indication and has unique quality characteristics. It is made from Yunnan large-leaf sun-green tea with specific processing techniques. The quality formation of Pu-erh tea is closely related to the soil’s environmental conditions. In this paper, time-by-time data of the soil environment of tea plantations during the autumn tea harvesting period in Menghai County, Xishuangbanna, Yunnan Province, China, in 2021 were analyzed. Spearman’s correlation analysis was conducted between the inner components of Pu’er tea and the soil environmental factor. The analysis showed that three soil environmental indicators, soil temperature, soil moisture, and soil pH, were highly significantly correlated. The soil environmental quality evaluation method was proposed based on the selected soil environmental characteristics. Meanwhile, a deep learning model of Long Short Term Memory (LSTM) Network for the soil environmental quality of tea plantation was established according to the proposed method, and the soil environmental quality of tea was classified into four classes. In addition, the paper also compares the constructed models based on BP neural network and random forest to evaluate the coefficient of determination (R2), mean absolute error (MAE), mean square error (MSE), mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) and root mean square error (RMSE) of the indicators for comparative analysis. This paper innovatively proposes to introduce the main inclusions of Pu’er tea into the classification and discrimination model of the soil environment in tea plantations, while using machine learning-related algorithms to classify and predict the categories of soil environmental quality, instead of relying solely on statistical data for analysis. This research work makes it possible to quickly and accurately determines the physiological status of tea leaves based on the establishment of a soil environment quality prediction model, which provides effective data for the intelligent management of tea plantations and has the advantage of rapid and low-cost assessment compared with the need to measure the intrinsic quality of Pu-erh tea after harvesting is completed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dynamics of Upland Soil for Agroforestry Crops)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

23 pages, 4591 KiB  
Article
Targeted Metabolomics Reveals Impact of N Application on Accumulation of Amino Acids, Flavonoids and Phytohormones in Tea Shoots under Soil Nutrition Deficiency Stress
by Xuejiao Gong, Lanying Li, Lin Qin, Yingbo Huang, Yulong Ye, Min Wang, Yingchun Wang, Yaqiong Xu, Fan Luo and Huiling Mei
Forests 2022, 13(10), 1629; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13101629 - 04 Oct 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1358
Abstract
The abundant amino acids and flavonoids in tea crucially contribute to its particular flavor and many health benefits. The biosynthesis of these compounds is significantly affected by carbon and nitrogen metabolism, which is regulated by the nitrogen conditions in the soil. However, exactly [...] Read more.
The abundant amino acids and flavonoids in tea crucially contribute to its particular flavor and many health benefits. The biosynthesis of these compounds is significantly affected by carbon and nitrogen metabolism, which is regulated by the nitrogen conditions in the soil. However, exactly how N-starved tea plants use N absorbed from the soil for the biosynthesis of amino acids, flavonoids, and phytohormones is still little known. Here, tea plants that were deficient in nitrogen owing to long-term non-fertilization were subjected to a higher N application (300 kg/ha) or lower N application rate (150 kg/ha) as well as organic or inorganic N. The levels of 30 amino acids, 26 flavonoids, and 15 phytohormone compounds were analyzed using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography quadrupole mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-MS/MS). It was found that a continuous lack of fertilization generated a minimal availability of soil N; as a result, the yield and the theanine and soluble sugar contents were greatly decreased, while the accumulation of seven flavonoid compounds (e.g., epigallocatechin, vitexin, and genistein) increased notably. The levels of theanine, glutamate, and aspartate significantly increased with the supply of N, whereas multiple amino acids, such as alanine, phenylalanine, valine, etc., decreased, indicating that the absorption of nitrogen is preferentially used for the biosynthesis of theanine and glutamate-derived amino acids by a N-starved tea plant. Meanwhile, the changes in the accumulation of flavonoids in tea shoots with various N supplies clarified that a lower N application rate has a negative influence while higher N has a positive effect on the synthesis of flavonoids in a N-starved tea plant. In addition, following N supply, the N-deficient tea plant accumulated ABA (Abscisic acid), SA (Salicylic acid), JA (Jasmonic acid), CKs (Cytokinins), and ACC (1-Aminocyclopropanecarboxylic acid), at 2.03, 1.14, 1.97, 1.34, and 1.26 times, respectively, as high as those in a tea plant with normal fertilization. Furthermore, we performed the correlation network analysis among amino acids, flavonoids, and phytohormones. Its result confirmed that glutamate, aspartate, and hydroxyproline showed a significantly positive correlation with 8, 11, and 8 flavonoid compounds, respectively. Cis-OPDA (cis-12-oxo-phytodienoic acid) was also significantly negatively correlated with eight flavonoid compounds (e.g., naringenin, myricetin, and quercetin). Collectively, our tests suggested that a lower N application promotes the biosynthesis of the theanine and amino acids involved in theanine synthesis, thus inhibiting the accumulation of other amino acids, while greater N application promotes flavonoids in a N-starved tea plant. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dynamics of Upland Soil for Agroforestry Crops)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

20 pages, 9270 KiB  
Article
Genome-Wide Identification and Characterization of Calmodulin and Calmodulin-like Genes Family in Tea Plant and Their Roles under Abiotic Stress
by Rui Kang, Renliang Zhao, Long Wang, Chunhui Liu, Fen Zhang and Qiongqiong Zhou
Forests 2022, 13(10), 1578; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13101578 - 26 Sep 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1658
Abstract
As an important Ca2+ sensor, calmodulin (CaM) and calmodulin-like protein (CML) play core roles in plant growth, development, and response to environmental stimuli. The CaM/CML gene family has been well characterized in various plant species, such as Arabidopsis thaliana, rice, and [...] Read more.
As an important Ca2+ sensor, calmodulin (CaM) and calmodulin-like protein (CML) play core roles in plant growth, development, and response to environmental stimuli. The CaM/CML gene family has been well characterized in various plant species, such as Arabidopsis thaliana, rice, and tomato; however, in the tea plant, the CaM/CML gene family has not been systematically and comprehensively characterized. In the present study, a total of 5 CsCaM and 60 CsCML proteins were identified from the tea plant genome, which were unevenly distributed on the 14 chromosomes of the tea plant. All the proteins contained two to four EF-hand domains. Meanwhile, an integrated analysis of physicochemical properties, sequence structure, motif identification, phylogeny, gene duplication, promoter cis-elements, and RNA-seq expression profiles in the CsCaM/CML gene family was performed. Transcriptome analysis revealed that CsCaM/CMLs were differentially expressed in different tissues of the tea plant, suggesting their potential roles in plant growth and development. The expression profiles associated with various stress treatments revealed that CsCaM/CML genes were involved in a wide range of abiotic factors, including cold and drought stress. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was also used to validate the differences in expression under abiotic stress. Overall, these findings enhanced our understanding of CsCaM/CML genes and provided useful information for further research into their molecular functions in abiotic stress response, and in multiple physiological processes in the tea plant. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Dynamics of Upland Soil for Agroforestry Crops)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-5
Back to TopTop