Soil acidification in moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis) forests and changes of soil metal ions (Cu, Pb) concentration

Abstract

Degradation of soil quality, especially soil acidification, restricts the sustainable management of moso bamboo forest. A 10-year pH monitoring study was carried out in Zhejiang Province, China. The soil acidification rate of moso bamboo forests was quantified by experiments. The results showed that the natural acidification rate of soil was 0.011 pH year−1. The average acidification rate of long-term application of nitrogen fertilizers reached 0.082 pH year−1, which was 7.5 times of that of non-fertilization control. Sequential chemical extraction for metals (Cu, Pb) revealed that the content of each fraction in fertilized soil was higher than that of the non-fertilization control. Potential mobility and bioavailability of metal ions (Cu, Pb) are greatly increased by soil acidification. The result of this research could provide valuable reference for nutrient management and sustainable management of moso bamboo forest. Attention should be paid to heavy metal pollution caused by the change of soil properties.