Paludiculture crops and nitrogen kick-start ecosystem service provisioning in rewetted peat soils

R J E Vroom,J J M Geurts,L P M Lamers,R Nouta,C Fritz,A C W Borst

doi:10.1007/s11104-022-05339-y

R J E Vroom, J J M Geurts + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-022-05339-y

Copy DOI

Abstract

PurposePaludiculture (crop cultivation in wet peatlands) can prevent carbon and nutrient losses while enabling biomass production. As vegetation in rewetted peatlands is often nitrogen (N) limited, input of N-rich water may promote biomass production and nutrient removal. However, it is unclear how N loading and soil characteristics affect biomass yield, nutrient dynamics, and ecosystem service provisioning in paludiculture.MethodsWe studied the influence of N loading (0, 50, 150, and 450 kg N ha−1 yr−1) on biomass production and nutrient sequestration of Typha latifolia (broadleaf cattail) and Phragmites australis (common reed) in mesocosms containing rewetted agricultural peat soil (intensively managed, near-neutral (IN)). To assess the interaction with soil characteristics T. latifolia was also grown on an extensively managed, acid (EA) peat soil.ResultsN loading stimulated biomass production and nutrient uptake of both T. latifolia and P. australis, with T. latifolia showing the most pronounced response. Biomass yield of T. latifolia was higher on IN soil than on EA soil due to the higher pH, despite lower nutrient availability. N was largely taken up by the vegetation, whereas bare soils showed N accumulation in pore and surface water, and 80% loss through denitrification. Soil phosphorus was efficiently taken up by T. latifolia, especially at high N loads.ConclusionN loading in paludiculture with T. latifolia and P. australis boosts biomass production while kick-starting peatland ecosystem services including nutrient removal. Nutrient availability and pH appear to be decisive soil characteristics when it comes to crop selection.

Highlights

Pristine peatlands worldwide accommodate a unique set of ecosystem services, including carbon sequestration, water quality improvement, biodiversity preservation, water retention and flood control (Zedler and Kercher 2005; Keddy et al 2009)
Increasing N loads lead to higher biomass production of T. latifolia on IN soil (p = 0.001), increasing from 5.3 ton dry weight (DW) h a−1 in controls to 10 ton DW h a−1 at 450 kg N ha−1
Biomass production of P. australis on IN soil increased from 2.6 ton DW ha−1 to an optimum of 5.5 ton DW ha−1 at 150 kg N ha−1

Summary

Introduction

Pristine peatlands worldwide accommodate a unique set of ecosystem services, including carbon sequestration, water quality improvement, biodiversity preservation, water retention and flood control (Zedler and Kercher 2005; Keddy et al 2009). Accumulation of organic material makes peatlands important sinks and stores for carbon (C) and nutrients. Peat oxidation brings about a myriad of issues including land subsidence, loss of biodiversity, and the transition from C sink to source through enhanced carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions (Verhoeven and Setter 2009; Miettinen et al 2017). Drained peatlands cover only a small fraction of the earth’s surface (0.3%), they contribute 6% to total anthropogenic CO2 emissions (Tanneberger and Wichtmann 2011). In order to restore peatland ecosystems and associated services such as carbon sequestration and water storage, many rewetting projects have been carried out in the past (Zak et al 2011; Lamers et al 2015; Günther et al 2020)

Methods

Results

Conclusion