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An investigation of the duration of phosphorous fertilization effects on phosphorous and nitrogen cycling patterns of Pinus elliottii plantations in the southern Cape
Includes bibliographical references.
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| Main Author: | |
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| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Department of Biological Sciences
2014
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| _version_ | 1867613265373167616 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Wienand, Karen Tania |
| author2 | Stock, WD |
| author_browse | Stock, WD Wienand, Karen Tania |
| author_facet | Stock, WD Wienand, Karen Tania |
| author_sort | Wienand, Karen Tania |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | Includes bibliographical references. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/8400 |
| institution | University of Cape Town (South Africa) |
| language | eng |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:33:23.204Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| publishDate | 2014 |
| publishDateRange | 2014 |
| publishDateSort | 2014 |
| publisher | Department of Biological Sciences |
| publisherStr | Department of Biological Sciences |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| spelling | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/8400 An investigation of the duration of phosphorous fertilization effects on phosphorous and nitrogen cycling patterns of Pinus elliottii plantations in the southern Cape Wienand, Karen Tania Stock, WD Botany Includes bibliographical references. The effects of phosphorus fertilization and its duration of impact on nutrient cycling patterns in Pinus elliottii plantations were investigated by examining soil phosphorus and nitrogen turnover and litterfall in a 8, 20 and 25 year old plantation age sequence. Each stand contained plots fertilized with between 30-60 kg ha-1 superphosphate at establishment and an equal number of control (unfertilized) plots. At the oldest stand there were additional variables, namely timing of fertilizer application (at establishment versus 10 years after establishment) and fertilization frequency (double application, at establishment and 10 years later). Phosphate fertilization produced a significant increase in soil phosphorus availability at the 8 and 20 year old stands. At the 25 year old stand, increased phosphorus availability was only significant in the plots fertilized twice. It was only at these latter plots that a significant increase in soil annual net phosphorus turnover with fertilization was evident. Thus, only with a double application of phosphate will increased phosphorus availability and turnover be maintained up to 25 years. Phosphate fertilization significantly reduced soil nitrogen availability and soil annual nitrogen turnover at all the stands. This was ascribed to inorganic nitrogen being immobilized by the large microbial population supported by the increased phosphorus availability. This contention is supported by the investigation of the factors influencing nutrient mineralization - while fertilization was the most significant factor determining phosphorus mineralization, nitrogen mineralization was shown to be strongly controlled by environmental factors, indicating the role of micro-organisms in this process. Thus phosphorus release is mainly a physiochemical phenomenon while nitrogen turnover is biologically controlled. The reduction of nitrogen turnover rates with phosphate fertilization intensified with increasing age, presumably as the nitrogen became bound in biomass which decomposes slowly. 2014-10-11T12:21:18Z 2014-10-11T12:21:18Z 1992 Master Thesis Masters MSc http://hdl.handle.net/11427/8400 eng application/pdf Department of Biological Sciences Faculty of Science University of Cape Town |
| spellingShingle | Botany Wienand, Karen Tania An investigation of the duration of phosphorous fertilization effects on phosphorous and nitrogen cycling patterns of Pinus elliottii plantations in the southern Cape |
| thesis_degree_str | Master's |
| title | An investigation of the duration of phosphorous fertilization effects on phosphorous and nitrogen cycling patterns of Pinus elliottii plantations in the southern Cape |
| title_full | An investigation of the duration of phosphorous fertilization effects on phosphorous and nitrogen cycling patterns of Pinus elliottii plantations in the southern Cape |
| title_fullStr | An investigation of the duration of phosphorous fertilization effects on phosphorous and nitrogen cycling patterns of Pinus elliottii plantations in the southern Cape |
| title_full_unstemmed | An investigation of the duration of phosphorous fertilization effects on phosphorous and nitrogen cycling patterns of Pinus elliottii plantations in the southern Cape |
| title_short | An investigation of the duration of phosphorous fertilization effects on phosphorous and nitrogen cycling patterns of Pinus elliottii plantations in the southern Cape |
| title_sort | investigation of the duration of phosphorous fertilization effects on phosphorous and nitrogen cycling patterns of pinus elliottii plantations in the southern cape |
| topic | Botany |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/8400 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT wienandkarentania aninvestigationofthedurationofphosphorousfertilizationeffectsonphosphorousandnitrogencyclingpatternsofpinuselliottiiplantationsinthesoutherncape AT wienandkarentania investigationofthedurationofphosphorousfertilizationeffectsonphosphorousandnitrogencyclingpatternsofpinuselliottiiplantationsinthesoutherncape |