Effects of abandonment management on soil C and N pools in Moso bamboo forests

Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys Pubescens) forests exhibit a great potential to sequestrate carbon dioxide from atmosphere and to mitigate global climate change. However, they were increasingly under abandoned (i.e., no fertilization, the low intensity and frequency of felling and bamboo shoot digging) due to decreasing economic values of bamboo-related products and increasing labor cost. So far, the changes in soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) pools in bamboo forests following abandonment are poorly addressed. In this study, Moso bamboo stands under intensively management and abandonment for different durations were sampled to explore the C and N pool dynamics at the top 40 cm soil. We classified abandonment durations into three categories: discarded or abandoned management for 1–6 years (DM-I), 7–12 years (DM-II) and 13–18 years (DM-III). Our results indicated that (1) soil organic carbon (SOC) storage was significantly increased with abandonment management compared with intensive management (Control, CK), but the durations of abandonment management had no significant effects on SOC. Microbial biomass carbon (MBC) concentration increased from DM-I to DM-III in the 0–40 cm soil layer (P < 0.01), and water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) concentration decreased through DM-I (P < 0.01). (2) Abandonment management did not significantly affect soil total nitrogen (TN) storage at depth of 0–40 cm, with 9.54 Mg ha⁻¹ for CK, 9.59 Mg ha⁻¹ for DM-I, 9.89 Mg ha⁻¹ for DM-II and 9.69 Mg ha⁻¹ for DM-III. Water-soluble organic nitrogen (WSON) concentration significantly decreased from CK to DM-III. Ammonium nitrogen (NH₄⁺-N) concentration increased from DM-I to DM-III (P < 0.01), and nitrate nitrogen (NO₃⁻-N) concentration decreased from CK to DM-III (P < 0.01). The results of the effects of abandonment durations on soil properties in Moso bamboo forests provide valuable information for forest restoration and management.