Intraspecific variability in plant and soil chemical properties in a common garden plantation of the energy crop Populus

Craig, Matthew E.; Harman-Ware, Anne E.; Cope, Kevin R.; Kalluri, Udaya C.

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0309321

Intraspecific variability in plant and soil chemical properties in a common garden plantation of the energy crop Populus

Journal Article · Mon Oct 21 00:00:00 EDT 2024 · PLoS ONE

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0309321· OSTI ID:2474778

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Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

Optimizing crops for synergistic soil carbon (C) sequestration can enhance CO₂ removal in food and bioenergy production systems. Yet, in bioenergy systems, we lack an understanding of how intraspecies variation in plant traits correlates with variation in soil biogeochemistry. This knowledge gap is exacerbated by both the heterogeneity and difficulty of measuring belowground traits. Here, we provide initial observations of C and nutrients in soil and root and stem tissues from a common garden field site of diverse, natural variant, Populus trichocarpa genotypes—established for aboveground biomass-to-biofuels research. Our goal was to explore the value of such field sites for evaluating genotype-specific effects on soil C, which ultimately informs the potential for optimizing bioenergy systems for both aboveground productivity and belowground C storage. To do this, we investigated variation in chemical traits at the scale of individual trees and genotypes and we explored correlations among stem, root, and soil samples. We observed substantial variation in soil chemical properties at the scale of individual trees and specific genotypes. While correlations among elements were observed both within and among sample types (soil, stem, root), above-belowground correlations were generally poor. We did not observe genotype-specific patterns in soil C in the top 10 cm, but we did observe genotype associations with soil acid-base chemistry (soil pH and base cations) and bulk density. Finally, a specific phenotype of interest (high vs low lignin) was unrelated to soil biogeochemistry. Our pilot study supports the usefulness of decade-old, genetically-variable, Populus bioenergy field test plots for understanding plant genotype effects on soil properties. Finally, this study contributes to the advancement of sampling methods and baseline data for Populus systems in the Pacific Northwest, USA. Further species- and region-specific efforts will enhance C predictability across scales in bioenergy systems and, ultimately, accelerate the identification of genotypes that optimize yield and carbon storage.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC05-00OR22725

OSTI ID:: 2474778

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 2475930

Journal Information:: PLoS ONE, Journal Name: PLoS ONE Journal Issue: 10 Vol. 19; ISSN 1932-6203

Publisher:: Public Library of ScienceCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Intraspecific variability in plant and soil chemical properties in a common garden plantation of the energy crop Populus

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