Effects of mineral soil and forest floor on the regeneration of pedunculate oak, beech and red oak

Early regeneration is a critical life stage that affects the future species composition of forests. Knowledge about regeneration success under different environmental conditions allows better understanding of forest dynamics. We studied the effects of seedbed conditions on the establishment and performance of seedlings of pedunculate oak, beech and red oak. In 50 plots of a tree-diversity oriented research platform in mature forests in northern Belgium (TREEWEB), we installed a field experiment with three treatments (potting soil, mineral soil, mineral soil + forest floor), in which we sowed seeds of each species. We monitored early establishment and survival, height, root and shoot biomass of the seedlings after two growing seasons. Mineral soil negatively affected seedling establishment and performance relative to the potting soil. The negative soil effects did not vary with measured abiotic soil properties. In general, the forest floor did not deteriorate or mitigate the soil effects, and only for root biomass did the forest floor partly compensate the negative soil effects. Forest floor effects did not vary with the measured forest floor properties. In the studied forests, creating bare soil was not enough to promote regeneration; improving soil properties might be important for the success of natural regeneration.Fil: De Groote, Stefanie R. E.. University of Ghent; BélgicaFil: Vanhellemont, Margot. University of Ghent; BélgicaFil: Baeten, Lander. University of Ghent; BélgicaFil: Carón, María Mercedes. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales. Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Salta; ArgentinaFil: Martel, An. University of Ghent; BélgicaFil: Bonte, Dries. University of Ghent; BélgicaFil: Lens, Luc. University of Ghent; BélgicaFil: Verheyen, Kris. University of Ghent; Bélgic

Greenresilient: Innovative Cropping Systems In Organic Greenhouse Production

European organic greenhouse production systems are extremely differentiated. The more intensive ones have been object of debates, in the last decade, and a strong request for innovative solutions to reduce the level of intensification comes from the “organic sector”. An agroecological approach to organic production in protected conditions can be an option. This paper describes how scientists with competencies in soil science, agronomy, plant pathology, entomology and environmental sustainability assessment interact in the framework of GREENRESILIENT project (CORE Organic Cofund) to implement more resilient cropping systems in protected conditio

Variety trial of organic radish in tunnel

During the GreenResilient project, radish was one of the crops in the crop rotation. Three different organic varieties were compared so see how suitable they are to grow in spring season in tunnel

Visitor guide field visit organic covered crops 2018

Overview of the results of the currently ongoing trials about organic covered crops

Agro-ecological production systems for organic greenhouses

Presentation of the Greenresilient projec

Towards a more agroecological cultivation technique in tunnels

During the GreenResilient project, a business as usual system is compared with an innovative system in which more agro-ecological practices are tested

Tree species diversity indirectly affects nutrient cycling through the shrub layer and its high-quality litter

Tree species effects on biogeochemical cycles are well studied, but the interactive effects of tree species in mixtures remain poorly understood. We studied how tree species identity and species diversity affect nutrient cycling in mature forests. In a Belgian platform of 53 forest plots varying in tree species diversity and composition, we sampled the return of carbon, nitrogen and base cations via leaf litterfall and their stocks in the forest floor and topsoil. Tree species identity effects were clear; diversity effects were weak or absent. The leaf litter input from shrub species depended on the composition of the tree canopy and had a higher quality than the litter of the trees. Monocultures of pedunculate oak had the highest input of litter from shrub species; in mixtures with beech, however, this input was disproportionally low. We found indirect effects of tree species diversity on nutrient cycling, via effects of the tree species composition on the abundance and composition of the shrub layer. This is particularly important in forests consisting of tree species with low leaf litter quality, because nutrient cycling may benefit from the presence of shrub species with higher leaf litter quality

Natuurherstel op landbouwgrond : fosfor als bottleneck

Alarmed by the worldwide loss of biodiversity, several international initiatives are undertaken to gather knowledge on biodiversity conservation and ecosystem restoration. Within the Natura 2000 network, member states of the EU are urged to take measures for maintaining and restoring natural habitats. For Flanders, new natural habitat has to be restored on agricultural land. The restoration of species-rich grasslands on former agricultural land, however, faces major bottle-necks and restoration has shown variable success. High soil nutrient levels hinder species diversity through favouring fast growing, competitive species which outcompete other, subordinate species. Loss of terrestrial plant biodiversity has been both linked to high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus (P). P is one of the least mobile mineral nutrients and many post-agricultural soils have large reserves as a consequence of heavy fertilisation during decades. This paper focuses on the topic of nature restoration on former agricultural fields, more particular on P as bottleneck for nature restoration. We explain the biogeochemical behaviour of P in the soil and discuss the process of internal eutrophication. We also discuss why biogeochemical knowledge is necessary for nature restoration. In our next paper we focus on which techniques nature managers can use for habitat restoration