Effects of trees and understorey management on soil fertility and nutritional status of holm oaks in Spanish dehesas

A dehesa is a multipurpose agroforestry system with scattered oaks. This study focuses on the influence of trees on soil chemical fertility and on the consequences of dehesa land use for soil fertility and nutritional status of trees. To achieve that we have studied the content of several nutrients in soils and tree leaves in four Spanish dehesas, considering three types of land use: scattered holm oak with an understorey of either native grasses (G), shrubs (E) or crop (C: either fertilized or unfertilized). We randomly selected six oaks per farm and land use for soil and tree leaf sampling. Soil samples were taken at five distances from each tree trunk (2, 5, 10, 15, and 20 m) at a depth of 0–30 cm. SOM, CEC, total and mineral-N, available-P, and exchangeable Ca, Mg and K were analysed. Foliar samples were collected from every tree in two consecutive years (2002 and 2003) at leaf maturity. The total content of N, P, K, Ca, and Mg was determined. Soils of C plots showed significantly higher contents for most of the nutrients studied than G ones. Cropping also affected trees positively, with higher foliar contents of N and K in C plots than in G ones. Foliar content did not decrease for any nutrient, and tree-crop interaction is interpreted as a mechanism of complementarity in terms of nutrient use. Shrub encroachment led to a higher content of organic-N and exchangeable cations in soils, but to a decrease in mineral N and available-P. The tree foliar contents of N, Mg, and Ca were lower in E plots than in G plots, probably as a consequence of the tree-shrub competition for those nutrients. By contrast, P content of tree leaves increased significantly in E plots compared to G plots.