Effect of plantation on organic matter and some soil properties

When aerial parts of the plants, capable of storing and absorbing mineral salts in their leaves, fall, these dissolved materials are transferred to the soil surface, changing its physical and chemical properties. Plants have special effects on their habitat and study of these effects can be useful in planning projects. This study aimed to investigate the effect of different tree species on soil quality in 0-25 and 25-50 cm depths in Shalman poplar research station, Guilan province. The experimental design was as completely Randomized Block with seven treatments and three replicates. Two different plantations of hardwoods including Populus caspica, Alnus glutinosa, and Quercus castaneifolia) and softwoods (Taxidium disticum, Juniperus excelsa, Pinus taeda), and non-planted site as a control were selected. These sites have same physiography and parent material. Vegetation’s age is 37 years old. Totally 42 soil samples were taken from the distance 50-150 cm of three sites. Some soil properties including organic matter, total nitrogen, soil pH, cation exchange capacity (CEC), C/N ratio, electrical conductivity (EC), mean weight diameter, texture, bulk density and particle density of soil sample were measured. the results showed that, soil pH, organic matter, total nitrogen, CEC, EC, and C/N ratio (P<0.01) and percentage of clay and percentage of sand (p<0.05) were significantly different between the two plantations. The findings of this research indicate that the plantation has major impact on carbon sequestration and thereby controls quality indicators of soils. It is concluded that plantation could increase the soil quality.