title: Soil CO2efflux in a bioenergy plantation with fast-growingPopulustrees - influence of former land use, inter-row spacing and genotype.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In this study we quantified the annual soil CO2efflux (annual SCE) of a short rotation coppice plantation in its establishment phase. We aimed to examine the effect of former (agricultural) land use type, inter-row spacing and genotype.
  
  
  METHODS
  Annual SCE was quantified during the second growth year of the establishment rotation in a large scale poplar plantation in Flanders. Automated chambers were distributed over the two former land use types, the two different inter-row spacings and under two poplar genotypes. Additional measurements of C, N, P, K, Mg, Ca and Na concentrations of the soil, pH, bulk density, fine root biomass, microbial biomass C, soil mineralization rate, distance to trees and tree diameters were performed at the end of the second growth year.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Total carbon loss from soil CO2efflux was valued at 589 g m-2yr-1. Annual SCE was higher in former pasture as compared to cropland, higher in the narrow than in the wider inter-row spacings, but no effect of genotype was found.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Spatial differences in site characteristics are of great importance for understanding the effect of ecosystem management and land use change on soil respiration processes and need to be taken into account in modeling efforts of the carbon balance.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Research Group of Plant and Vegetation Ecology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610 Wilrijk, Belgium.
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Verlinden
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Research Group of Plant and Vegetation Ecology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610 Wilrijk, Belgium.
authors.forename: L S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Broeckx
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Research Group of Plant and Vegetation Ecology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610 Wilrijk, Belgium ; Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Science, 723 Xingke Road, Tianhe District Guangzhou, 510650 People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Research Group of Plant and Vegetation Ecology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, B-2610 Wilrijk, Belgium.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ceulemans
keywords: Carbon loss; Land use; Poplar; Short rotation coppice; Soil respiration; Spatial variability
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