Abstract:
The effects of cultivating
Polygonatum cyrtonema and
Sarcandra glabra planted under
Cunninghamia lanceolata forests on soil physicochemical properties is not yet clear. Based on this, an under-canopy cultivation experiment was conducted in the
Cunninghamia lanceolata plantation of Luoguopu State-owned Forest Farm in Linshui County, Guang'an City, Sichuan Province. A randomized block design was used, setting up cultivation areas for
Polygonatum cyrtonema and
Sarcandra glabra, as well as a control area of pure
Cunninghamia lanceolata forest. Soil samples from the 0-20 cm layer were collected to determine the soil moisture content, pH, organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), ammonium nitrogen (NH
4+-N), nitrate nitrogen (NO
3−-N), total phosphorus (TP), available phosphorus (AP), total potassium (TK), and available potassium (AK) content. The results showed that the cultivation of
Polygonatum cyrtonema and
Sarcandra glabra under
Cunninghamia lanceolata significantly increased the SOC and TN contents by 29.94%, 22.63%, 51.16%, 36.7% respectively, and the promotion effect of
Polygonatum cyrtonema on SOC and TN was more significant. The cultivation of
Polygonatum cyrtonema and
Sarcandra glabra under
Cunninghamia lanceolata also significantly increased the soil NH
4+-N and NO
3−-N contents by 38.87%, 51.25%, 29.50%, 16.14%, respectively. Additionally, the cultivation of
Polygonatum cyrtonema and
Sarcandra glabra under
Cunninghamia lanceolata increased the soil TK and AK contents by 7.56%, 9.45% and 36.12%, 21.50% respectively. However, there was a tendency for the cultivation of
Polygonatum cyrtonema and
Sarcandra glabra under
Cunninghamia lanceolata to reduce soil moisture content, TP, and AP content. To sum up, planting
Polygonatum cyrtonema and
Sarcandra glabra under
Cunninghamia lanceolata forest improved soil fertility on the whole.