ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Effects of Substrate Material on Plant Growth
and Nutrient Loss
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1
Key Laboratory of Bio-Resource and Eco-Environment of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, P.R. China
2
State Key Laboratory of Hydraulics and Mountain River Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, P.R. China
Submission date: 2017-09-28
Final revision date: 2017-11-24
Acceptance date: 2017-12-07
Online publication date: 2018-06-28
Publication date: 2018-07-09
Corresponding author
Hao Yang
Sichuan University, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, 610065 Chengdu, China
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2018;27(6):2821-2832
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ABSTRACT
We investigated substrate material and the effects of different fertilizers and water levels as
variable factors for slope restoration. A field rainfall monitoring experiment was carried out to explore
morphological changes in Amorpha fruticosa L., the water-holding capacity of its leaves under different
water and nutrient gradients, and the nutrient losses from the substrate. The results showed that nutrient
loss by runoff was significantly affected by fertilizer use and they increased with the increased application
of fertilizers. The concentration of nitrogen in runoff was insignificant, the concentration of phosphorus
was increased, and the runoff concentration of potassium was decreased after increasing water-retaining
agent levels in the substrate. The concentration of nutrients in runoff from rainfall generally followed
a trend of slight fluctuations, then a rise, and finally a decrease. The addition of F2 fertilizer produced
the lowest nitrogen losses from substrate material and reduced the leaf area where the addition of
phosphate fertilizer had a significant effect on crown diameter. At greater content of the water-retaining
agent, the water in substrate material increased, resulting in increased water absorption by the plants
and increased relative water content of leaves. Ultimately, W3F4 was the most favorable combination of
water-retaining agent and fertilizer concentration for plant growth, which may be related to runoff losses.
This combination provides optimal conditions under which the plant can maintain a perfect balance
of nutrients and thus improve plant growth indices.